Enchanted
by Inutori
Summary: AU The boy band Enchanted is going on world tour, but what hindrance will come when their producer sends his daughter and friends with them? -ON HOLD-
1. Thursday, June 17

**Inuyasha:** I hate introducing stories.

**Kagome:** Just as much as you hate my scent.

**Inuyasha:** I don't hate your stench.

**Kagome:** And therefore deducing that you don't hate introducing stories.

**Inuyasha:** Shut up, woman.

**Sango:** That is no way to talk to Kagome-chan!

**Miroku:** *ahem* Inutori doesn't own us, and this conversation is pointless, so the readers might as well go read the story.

Chapter 1

Can't Keep my Eyes Off of You

Inuyasha stepped out onto the stage, followed by Miroku and Kouga.  Lights shone down on them from all sides and he was nearly blinded by the brightness.  Adjusting his ear piece/microphone, Inuyasha looked over the crowd.

"Hey everyone out there!"  Screaming girls echoed their approval of him and Inuyasha felt his ego grow to unmatchable size.  "You all ready for this?"  More screaming followed and Kouga did a little number on the drums signaling the beginning of the first song of the evening.

Miroku joined in with the bass line and Inuyasha soon after with the electric guitar.  After a few measures, the lyrics started up.

"Oh baby since the first time I saw you…

All I can do is follow your footsteps…

You're a fallen angel with your eyes of blue…

Cuz' baby I've fallen for you."

Inuyasha knew that his girlfriend Kikyou would hate this song.  Her eyes were brown and not the entrancing blue he sang about.  It made him smirk mentally; it would make her so mad when he sang it.  He didn't love Kikyou, in fact, he didn't even like her, but her father was the manager of their group, and Kikyou had the man wrapped around her pinkie finger.

"I can't keep my eyes off of you…

Just can't let you out of my sight…

Don't push me away now…

Won't let you go without a fight.

Can't get you out of my mind…

Even in the darkest night…

Won't let you go now cuz' you're mine…

And you know I'm right.

Oh baby since the first time I saw you…

All I can do is follow your footsteps…

You're a fallen angel with your eyes of blue…

Cuz' baby I've fallen for you."

The crowd cheered loudly for the group and Inuyasha knew that the new song was a hit.  This would get Kikyou madder than the devil himself.

"Can't keep my eyes off of you…

Can't let you out of my sight…

Can't get you out of my mind…

I'll never let you out of my heart…

Oh baby since the first time I saw you…

All I can do is follow your footsteps…

You're a fallen angel with your eyes of blue…

Cuz' baby I've fallen for you.

Can't keep my eyes off of you…

Can't let you out of my sight…

Can't get you out of my mind…

I'll never let you out of my heart…

Can't keep my eyes off of you."

As he finished the song with a loud chord, the screaming turned up a notch and girls with blue eyes were on the verges of tears.  Inuyasha smiled with satisfaction and nodded to the other members of his band.  Kouga's drumsticks clicked together as he started up the next song.

*

After the concert, the group lounged on a couch backstage and drank cold sodas to their hearts' contents.  That is, until Kikyou came storming into the room followed closely by her father.

"NO, NO, NO, AND NO!  I will not allow that little wretch anywhere near America!"  Kikyou seemed to have lost it as she fell back into Inuyasha's lap with a grunt and glared back at her father.

"What are you talking about?"  Inuyasha looked up at Kikyou's father instead of the hysterical woman, hoping for an answer.

As hoped, Mr. Reikan Toroshima answered him with an exasperated sigh.  "As a present for my daughter's 18th birthday, I am planning on sending her amateur band on tour."

Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Kikyou.  "But I thought you were 22?"  That was another reason he disliked Kikyou as a girlfriend: she was two and a half years older than him.

"I AM 22!"  She glared back at Inuyasha.  "And do you actually think that I'D have a girl's band?  They are, like, so dorky."

Reikan sighed and looked at the four people seated in front of him.  "My ex-wife lives in Japan with our other child as well as a son from a later marriage."  A look of understanding crossed the faces of all three band members.  "My younger daughter is about to turn 18 and graduate from high school.  She put together a band two years ago that does small concerts around Tokyo, but they have never even thought of going global.  As a birthday present, I want to do that for her.  When you guys go on your world tour, so will she.  That way I can know she'll be in good hands."

Kikyou scowled.  "And I think it is a stupid idea.  She should just stay in Japan where she belongs.  We don't need bimbos like her in America or anywhere else for that matter.  There already are too many."

Inuyasha couldn't help but mumble under his breath, "That couldn't be more true."  He was thinking of a particular bimbo that currently resided on his lap.  Then louder, and looking up at the manager, he spoke again.  "I think that's a great idea.  When do they get here?"

"Actually, we're going there.  Tomorrow."  Mr. Toroshima looked at the group for any complaints, seeing as how neither Miroku nor Kouga had said a word.

Kouga looked at the other band members, then back at their manager.  "I don't see why not.  It's not like any harm could come from it."

After Kouga broke the silence, Miroku looked up in thought.  "Well, seeing as how traveling with them could effect our reputation, are they good?"

Mr. Toroshima seemed to be prepared for this question, because he set down his briefcase and pulled out a CD case.  He opened it and removed a CD, then handing the case to Miroku.  Inuyasha noticed that Miroku was starting to drool, so pushed Kikyou off of his lap and went over to look at the CD case.

On it was a picture of five girls, each smiling brightly.  The girl in the center had an electric guitar slung over her shoulder and her hair up in a ponytail.  Each girl directly to the sides of her were holding a single rose and striking sexy poses in short, pleated skirts.  Then the two girls on the end were each holding some sort of instrument.  One had a piece of the drum set on her shoulder while the other held a bass guitar. 

Inuyasha was caught in a trance by the girl standing in the center, her blue eyes seemingly looking directly at him.  Her clothes covered her entirely contrasting with the two girls on either side of her.  The lead singer of the boy band called Enchanted was pulled out of his coma as music started up on the speakers.

A drum solo filtered every corner of the small room and went on until both a base guitar and electric joined in perfectly in unison.  Two voices sang over the music, blending and harmonizing perfectly.  Then a single voice over rode them, even though they could still be heard in the background.  It sounded like an angel's voice as it rang through each person's ears. 

Inuyasha wasn't even paying attention to the lyrics as he listened to the enchanting music.  He felt disappointed when the song ended and Reikan ejected the CD.

Silence filled the room, and the first to move was Miroku.  He nodded slowly and pursed his lips.  "Yeah…they're good…"

No one else spoke until Reikan broke the silence with a cough.  "Well, we'll be leaving first thing in the morning, so get back to the hotel and get some sleep."

*

"Hey Sango!  You'll never guess who I got a letter from!"  Kagome ran up to her best friend smiling brightly.

"Um…the grim reaper?"  Sango looked curiously at the bouncy teenager in front of her.  Something was up, but Kagome wasn't going to tell her unless she guessed first.

"No!  My dad!  You know, the owner of Toroshima Productions?"  If possible, Kagome's smile got even bigger as she spoke.

"Yeah, and what of it?"  Sango tilted her head to the side and cocked an eyebrow at Kagome.

"He wants to take Sengotsu on tour for my birthday!"  Kagome continued to smile brightly as her words sunk into Sango's thick skull.  

"On tour as in, perform around the world?"  Sango furrowed her eyebrows as her brain turned with this information.

"YES!"

"That's great!"  Sango looked up at Kagome and beamed.  "Have you told the girls yet?"

"No, but I called them and asked them to come to my place this afternoon.  I figured you'd want to know first."  Kagome dragged Sango down the street towards her shrine quickly and ran up the long flight of steps.

Afternoon rolled around and a girl with light brown hair climbed up the steps and up to her friend's house.  Kagome ran out to greet her, followed closely by Sango.

"Ayame!  I'm so glad you could come!  Now we just have to wait for Kagura and Ami."

No sooner had Kagome spoken than two more people arrived at the shrine, one having black hair tied up in a bun and the other having light brown hair tied back in a low ponytail.  "What was that, Kagome?"

The girl spoken to looked at all four of her friends and fellow members of Sengotsu with a mysterious smile.  "You guys, my father, the one that lives in America, wants us to go on tour around the world.  What do you say?"

The three girls who hadn't heard this news yet looked between each other with looks of disbelief before squealing their approval.

"Kagome, this is great!"  Ayame picked the raven-haired girl up in a bone-crushing hug and let her down after a few seconds.  "I vote that in honor of this occasion, we write a new song."

"I totally agree."  Ami looked at Kagome for her approval, and was met by a large smile.

"That's a great idea!"  Kagome lead the girls to the shrine's well house where they always practiced.  "Okay, what do we want it to be about?"

"It should be something depressing, all of our songs are too spunky."  Kagura picked dirt from underneath her long nails and seemingly was off in her own little world.

"Okay, that's an idea, any others?"  Kagome looked to the other girls in turn, pausing on Sango.

"Yeah, I think it should be about life long dreams and them coming true and stuff."  Ami looked at Kagura to see if she approved.  "And we could even make it non-spunky-like for Kag's liking."

Kagura nodded, and the other girls smiled at her.

After a few hours, Kagome picked up her guitar a plucked a few notes.

"We all have had a dream in our heart

To make it in the world somehow

And where there's a will there's a way

They say, but is it really meant to be?"

"Kagome, that's so pretty.  It's perfect."  Ayame took the laptop in her hands and let the computer analyze the notes Kagome used.  Several lines of sheet music popped up on the screen, making Ayame smile.

Kagome looked at all of the girls.  "Since this is the slow-type song that Kagura wanted, I say that she get to sing the most of it, ne?"

"Hai!"  Three voices responded to her, and Kagura looked at the raven-haired girl in confusion.

"Well, Kag, what do you say?"

Kagura nodded cautiously and took in a deep breath.  "I think I could live with singing one song."

"Okay then, the next few lines will be your solo, figure out your tune."

The girl with her hair in a bun hesitated for a moment, but then took in a deep breath and strung a note on her bass.

"I may not know where I'm going to go

I may not know what I'm going to be

But one thing's for sure in my heart

This is where my dream's gonna start.

It may not seem easy to get through

Indeed I may fall

But there's one thing I know without a doubt

My dream can come true."

Kagura paused, looking at the other members of Sengotsu for their approval, and was met by smiling faces.  She smiled back hesitantly and continued plucking out notes on her instrument and singing the lyrics that they had written.

*

Kagome woke early the next morning and took a shower before heading off to school.  Today was the last day and tomorrow she'd graduate, free of the condemned prison forever.

Pulling on her uniform, she slipped out the door with a sweet goodbye to her mother and ran down the shrine steps to meet her best friend.

"So, what did your dad say about the tour?"  Kagome looked curiously over at Sango as they trekked the short distance to school.

"Well, he said he'd be OK with it, as long as I come home a virgin.  I mean, what does he take me for, some slut who can't keep her hands off the guys?"

Kagome giggled lightly.  "You know it.  He's seen those flocks of fan boys you have."  Kagome smiled brightly before ducking to miss getting hit by the palm of Sango's swinging hand, succeeding in avoiding a possible injury.

Ami came running up to join them, smiling and holding a blue piece of paper.  "Did you guys hear?  The boy band Enchanted is going on world tour at the same time as us and they're starting here in Japan.  They'll be here, tonight!"

"Ami, how many times have I told you that I am not interested in bands that slaughter their voices with the computer to make themselves sound halfway decent?"  Sango gave the brunette a half-hearted glare before they walked up the stone steps and entered the High School for the last time in quite a while.

Ami pretended to pout, but it only lasted for a few seconds and she broke into a smile again.  "You may not like them, but they're totally hot.  I hope we get to meet them."

Kagome sighed, knowing that this conversation wasn't going to be any different than the others they had had previous.  "You guys, let's just get to class.  Both of you have your own opinions, and you don't have to agree with each other."

*

School ended and the five girls that made up the group Sengotsu trekked to Kagome Higurashi's house to practice their music.  

"So you guys, how do you think you did on the finals?"  Kagome turned to look at Sango, who was right beside her as she spoke.

Silence answered her as they continued walking up the shrine steps.  "Well…to be honest, I think I failed just about every single one."  Ayame smiled lopsided at the other girls and stopped at the top of the steps.  "Oh my goodness.  I am not seeing this."

Sango followed Ayame's eyes to a group of three boys setting up equipment to prepare to play music.  Two had black hair and the other had silver-white hair.

"What the-?"  Sango looked to Kagome for an answer, but she looked just as confused as the rest of them.  And then a scowl crossed Kagome's face.

"Kikyou."  

Looking back in the direction of the shrine, Sango watched a girl with long black hair walk out of the house like she were queen of the world.  She then watched Kagome storm past her towards the strangers with a dark aura of fire surrounding her.

Walking forward, Sango nearly jumped when Ami started screaming, "Enchanted, its Enchanted!"  So falling back to walk with Kagura, Sango watched as Kagome stormed up to the four people and began screaming at them, while Ami latched on to the closest one, which just so happened to be the bass player.

"What do you think you're doing?!"  Kagome's face scrunched in anger, her eyes becoming slits.  "This is private property!  You can't just set your stuff up wherever you like and expect people to stand by and watch!  Get out of here this instant!"

The silver-haired man (or is he a 'man,' he has the ears of a dog) leaned forward into Kagome's face.  "Shut up, wench.  We don't have to listen to dirt like you, and most definitely don't have to do what you tell us."

Kagome's aura only darkened and the girl who looked very similar to her started laughing coldly.  "Tsk, tsk, Kagome.  You should know that they're staying here to avoid all the fan girls at the hotels."

"Kikyou, I didn't ask you to butt in, now shut you trap before I do it for you."  Kagome growled at the girl called Kikyou before focusing her attention back on the silver-haired man.

He seemed to be chuckling silently at something, but Kagome didn't know what.  She could see the smile in his eyes.

Suddenly a scream pierced the air thick with contention.

"HENTAI!"  Ami had tears pooling in her eyes as she hid behind Kagura.  She could move fast when she wanted to.

Sango chose that moment to kick the offending man in the face, sending him flying ten feet.  Only afterward she realized she was still wearing her uniform, and therefore a skirt.  She blushed crimson and backed up to join her fellow members of Sengotsu.

Kikyou looked at Kagome with an annoyed expression.  "Get those bimbos off the shrine property, Kagome.  Honestly.  You'd like think that as future shrine maiden you'd know bad company when you saw it."

Kagome's eye twitched.  "Yeah, actually, I do."  The raven-haired eighteen-year-old walked up to Kikyou and picked her up with little effort.  She walked casually to the mini-shrine where Sengotsu practiced and entered.  A dry well inside was the perfect place to ditch the moron, and so Kikyou found herself plummeting to the ground far below Kagome.

Her screamed pierced the area, and all three boys covered their ears in irritation.  The four remaining girls crumpled to the ground in fits of laughter as Kagome came back out of the shrine in a very dignified manner. 

"She slipped.  What a klutz."  This comment only made everyone outside laugh, or laugh harder if they were already doing so.

*

"So mom, explain again why we're housing these idiots."  Kagome looked to her mother while calmly drinking a glass of milk.  The three 'idiots' were seated at the kitchen table and the silver-haired one was scowling at her.

"We're not idiots."  His biting voice didn't faze Kagome as she finished her drink and put the glass in the sink.

"Well, mom?"  She looked impatiently at her mother.

Her mother hesitated, looking at her daughter's cold glare then at the group of nineteen-year-old boys.  "Um…your father is sending them on tour with you."  She swallowed, hoping that her daughter would take it well.

"More like the wenches are coming on tour with us."  The silver-haired boy leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, scowling at everyone present.

"WHAT?!"  Kagome's eyes flared with her unspoken hatred.  "I am not going anywhere with these bozos!"

"Kagome!  You already said yes to going on tour with your friends, and you will not back out now!"  Mrs. Higurashi stood up straight, towering over Kagome.  She rarely got angry, but today was an exception.

"Whatever."  Kagome turned around and stormed upstairs, having lost the argument.  The four other members of Sengotsu sat in her room, digging through a large black suitcase.  "Guys, what are you doing?"

Kagura was the only one not participating in the little escapade, and was seated on the bed reading a manga.  She looked up at Kagome and shrugged.  "We found it in here.  Is it yours?"

Ayame looked up, apparently pausing in her fun.  "I hope not, cause I'd wonder about you if this belonged to you."  She held up a pair of black silk boxers that looked about the size to fit one of the boys down stairs.

"So, you say you found it in here?"

All four girls nodded at Kagome.  Licking her lips, Kagome was silent for a moment.  Then, without a word, she flipped around and stomped back out of the room.  They all could hear her voice ring through the house as she screamed at the tops of her lungs.

"MOM!  GET UP HERE NOW!  TELL ME WHY THERE IS MEN'S CLOTHING IN MY ROOM!  IT BETTER NOT BE WHAT I THINK IT IS!"

~

**Inutori:** Wow, for me, that was really long, hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did.  Vote for pairings.  I am a strong Inu/Kag and Mir/San, but I may make an exception, but otherwise, here are the options:

Inu/Kag  (You could vote for Kikyou, but I already stated that Inuyasha hates her, so what kind of relationship would that be?)

Kouga/Kag

Kouga/Ayame

Kouga/Kagura

Mir/San

Mir/Ami

Fluffy/Kagura

I'm open for suggestions, so just give a shout (in a review, I couldn't hear you otherwise) and until next time, ja!


	2. Friday, June 18

A/N  I don't own Inuyasha, but I do own Ami & Reiko (Kagome's dad)

Chapter 2

Yesterday

The three boys looked between each other in horror at the girl's words resounding through the house.  Mrs. Higurashi had put each of their bags in a room and they silently wondered which one of the three had the bad luck to have their belongings thrown into the screaming girl's area.

Terri Higurashi rubbed her temples to calm herself as she prepared for the eminent eruption of her second daughter.  She hadn't moved from her spot in the kitchen when none other than Kagome came tearing through the doorway with a look of pure rage molded on her face.

"Mom, if this is what I think it is, you are seriously going to regret it.  If you want them that badly, why don't you get on Kikyou's case?  Hmm?  Or is it because you don't want any mini-sluts running around with the big one?"

All three members of Enchanted were slightly lost, that is, until a look of enlightenment crossed Miroku's face.  That was followed by an extremely perverted smile.

"Ah, Terri-sama, if it is grandchildren you wish, then please allow me to be the sire."  Miroku was standing next to Kagome with an arm wrapped around her shoulders before Kouga and Inuyasha could blink.

And a second later Miroku was flying across the room thanks to a ticked Kagome.  She dusted off her hands and stood up straight, glaring at the two boys at the table as if challenging them to do as their bass player.

Obviously, Kouga didn't take the hint, for he was up in a flash and kneeling in front of Kagome while clutching her hands.  "Ah, Kagome, my dear, such strength and spirit!  You will now be my woman."  

The raven-haired girl's eye twitched, but just before she pummeled the man with a high ponytail, Inuyasha beat her to it.  

"Wimpy-wolf, keep your hands to yourself."  He seemed really angry and he drove his heel into Kouga's head.

"I can take care of myself, you jerk."  Kagome snapped at him and giving him a cold, hard glare.

"Who said I was protecting you, wench?  I'm just saving my drummer from the same fate as the hentai.  I don't need a wench like you incapacitating both of my counterparts in the band."  His eyes narrowed to slits as he returned her glare with equal venom, forgetting entirely that Mrs. Higurashi was still watching them.

Terri smiled lightly at the pair.  "Inuyasha, would you mind escorting Kagome to the supermarket?  I need her to pick up a few items."

Inuyasha had to keep himself from glaring at Mrs. Higurashi.  "Keh, I don't care."

"Mother, I am not a child.  And I'd rather not baby-sit this oversized gorilla."  Kagome narrowed her eyes at both Inuyasha and her mother, ignoring the drummer below Inuyasha's foot and the man slowly rising to his feet from his position against the wall.

"Kagome, watch your tongue!  You will take Inuyasha with you!  And that is final!  Show him around town and get to know him.  You'll be spending the next few months together, after all."  Mother and daughter glared at each other for a good minute before Inuyasha started growling and grabbed Kagome's upper arm roughly to drag her out of the kitchen.

"Let go of me, you jerk!"  Kagome struggled in his grasp trying to get free, but to no avail.

"Listen, wench, I don't like you any more than you like me, but I don't want to be mobbed by fangirls at any hotel.  So the sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back here and go our separate ways."

All he got was a cold glare from the one and only electric guitarist of Sengotsu.  "Fine, but I won't enjoy this."  She stomped passed him and grabbed a set of car keys hanging on the wall.  "Mom, what was it that you wanted me to get at the store?"

Terri popped up from seemingly nowhere and handed Kagome a piece of paper with a list written on it.  "And don't forget to pick up your dress from the drycleaners."

Kagome merely nodded and grabbed her jacket, disappearing out the door in a flash.  Inuyasha followed quickly behind and barely had time to get into the car before the driver careened out of the garage and down the street.

For a lead foot, she was a fairly good driver: not the typical weaving in and out of cars type of person.  Inuyasha watched her out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to be caught staring at her after basically saying he hated her.

A stop by the grocery store, and then the drycleaners, and Inuyasha thought they were headed home.  That is until Kagome pulled up to a small café.

"What, do you expect me to buy you dinner?"  Inuyasha folded his arms and made no movement as to suggest getting out of the car.

Kagome ignored him and got out of the car, disappearing into the miniature restaurant.  She emerged a few minutes later with two cups in her hands with steam coming out of them.

When she sat down in the driver's seat, Kagome handed Inuyasha one of the cups; which he reluctantly took.  He had expected it to be tea or coffee, both of which he despised with a passion, but the smell that hit his nose was hot chocolate.  Looking strangely at the other person in the car, Inuyasha sipped his cocoa carefully.

"What?  It's not poisoned!"  Kagome glared at him halfheartedly and started the car, putting her drink in the cup holder. 

"I wouldn't exactly put it past a wench like you."  Though Inuyasha drank the hot chocolate with a little more ease afterward.

He heard the driver take in a quick breath and saw her grip on the steering wheel tighten, but only for a brief moment.  After that she completely ignored him and continued the drive back to the shrine in silence.

*

That night after the Enchanted concert, much to Inuyasha's dismay, he was forced into sleeping on a futon in Kagome's room.  'The violent wench who is out to kill my band.'

He was sitting with his laptop on the floor, punching out lyrics for the new song he'd been working on, when finally his temporary roommate made her entrance in fleece pajama pants and a dark blue t-shirt.

She carried her guitar and a notebook with her as she walked over to the bed and took a seat.  Only taking a quick glance at the other occupant of the room, Kagome took out her blue and turquoise guitar and strung a chord.  A frown crossed her features and she picked up her notebook and jotted down some notes.

Inuyasha really didn't know what the notebook was for, but he also didn't know the workings of the female mind.  So he continued with his composing of music and completely tuned out the leader of Sengotsu.

About an hour later, Inuyasha was about ready to hit the sack when Kagome's melodious voice rang through the room in 'ah's.  The rhythm was slow and heart wrenching, yet hopeful, even without lyrics to go with them.

Then, in what was obviously the chorus, Kagome voiced the words that seemed trapped in her throat.

And to my utter amazement

There are people out there

Who go out of their way 

To give others a hard time.

Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows, watching Kagome intently.  That is, until she stopped her singing and glared back at him in anger.  "What, is my singing that bad?"

"Keh."  The dog-eared boy flopped back onto his futon and faced the wall.  After a few minutes, he feigned sleeping and listened as Kagome strung up a chord once again.

Yesterday

Must have been the worst

I've ever experienced

Inuyasha began to wonder what could possibly have happened yesterday that would drive Kagome to write such a slow, heartfelt song.

Yesterday

I went out on my own

Took my car for a drive

Yesterday

I stopped at a store

Bought a cup of cocoa

'I wonder how much hot chocolate she drinks?'  Inuyasha pictured Kagome swimming in a pool full of steaming hot chocolate and being burned all over.  It was quite the amusing picture and a smirk overcame the hanyou's blank face.

Yesterday

I strolled down the street

Looking for something of interest

And to my utter amazement

There are a people out there

Who go out of their way

To give others a hard time

Yesterday

I met a man with

An ego the size of Tokyo

Yesterday

I was followed around

Insulted to the point of tears

Yesterday

I lost my temper

And turned on the crowd

Yesterday

I cried my heart out

At the looks on those faces

Inuyasha's train of thought froze.  She had lost her temper with Inuyasha today just outside the supermarket.  He had been insulting the teenager once a minute at least, and she had said he was and egotistical jerk.  Was she singing about him?

And to my utter amazement

There are a people out there

Who go out of their way

To give others a hard time

Yesterday

I went home sorta glum

Followed by the cocky male

Yesterday

The world turned against me

And life turned upside down

Yesterday

Was a day I'll never forget

For as long as I live

Yesterday

For the first time in my life

No one was on my side

And to my utter amazement

There are a people out there

Who go out of their way

To give others a hard time

And to my utter amazement

There are a people out there

Who go out of their way

To give others a hard time

In some bizarre way, Inuyasha felt humbled by this young girl's song so obviously about their encounter.  He sighed slightly and readjusted his position so that he was a bit more comfortable.

"Inuyasha, you jerk."

The said hanyou didn't respond, figuring that Kagome assumed that he was asleep and that she was only saying it to calm herself.  His ear twitched as the bedsprings creaked and the buckles on her guitar case snapped.

More noises followed and soon Inuyasha was listening to the steady breathing of the other occupant of the room.  Perhaps he should apologize to her for his behavior…nah, she'd get over it.  Besides, it's not like he really cared what she thought of him.

~

**Inutori:** ^_^ I am well aware of the fact that this chapter is half the length of chapter 1, but I figured that some story is better than none, so I'm posting this before it's the length I was aiming for.

**Inuyasha:** Lazy bum

**Kagome:** Inuyasha, how many times have I told you not to insult the author, it really gets on her nerves.

**Inuyasha:** Who cares, wench?

**Inutori:** *hits Inuyasha with a frying pan* I care, you stinkin' little halfbreed.  Now I know why Fluffy hates you so much!  You're such a pest!

**Kagome:** *looks at all the readers dying of boredom from present conversation* It's OK for you to leave now, and if you' be so kind as to leave a review, I'll give you a hair off Inuyasha's head.

**Inuyasha:** *under Inutori's foot* You will NOT.  Don't you dare touch my HAIR!!!

**Inutori:** *making peace sign* JA NE, MINNA-SAN!!!


	3. Saturday, June 19

**Inutori:** Wasn't there a rule on ff.net that said that you can't steal other people's ideas and stuff?  If you guys have read some of my other stories, you may already know this, but one of my original characters has been kidnapped by someone.  I didn't find out about it until recently while talking to one of my friends that read fanfiction.  

**Inuyasha:** Inutori isn't even in this story, so why should the readers care if she's been kidnapped?

**Inutori:** It's the concept, Inuyasha.  The person kidnapping Inutori with my being aware of it has drained me of all of my inspiration.  I've been rather upset with learning that not only was she kidnapped, but the author that did it changed her into a female clone of Inuyasha.  That just really ticks me off.

**Inuyasha:** Get over it already.

**Inutori:** I will, when the person who stole Inutori fesses up and kindly asks for my forgiveness.  I don't mind people using my characters, I'd just like to know where they are on the internet and get credit for creating them.  Is that too much to ask?

**Inuyasha:** Apparently, since whoever kidnapped Inutori didn't bother to leave a ransom note.

**Inutori:** And now for business that actually pertains to this story.  I just thought people would like to know a little more about the characters:

****

**_Sengotsu:_**

**Kagome**, she is a human, and is just about to turn 18, but you all have probably already gathered that from the story so far.

**Sango**, is also human, but she is already 18, being a few months older than Kagome.

**Kagura**, is a wind youkai like in the original story, and is 19, having graduated from High School a year ago.  She's going to college at the local university, but will put her studies on hold for the summer tour.

**Ayami**, she, like in the original story, is a wolf youkai and turned 18 last fall.

**Ami**, is a fox youkai and actually has a tail, but is hidden with her kitsune magic.  She just turned 16, but skipped a couple grades several years ago due to her intellectual superiority and is graduating from HS like most of Sengotsu.

**_Enchanted:_**

**Inuyasha** is half inu youkai, like in the original story and looks like he does in his hanyou form.  He turned 19 in January.

**Miroku** is a human (he wouldn't be anything else) and turned 20 this last December.

**Kouga** is a wolf youkai and is going to turn 21 in the fall.

**_Other Characters that are/will be in the story and are of notable significance:_**

**Sesshoumaru** is an inu youkai and turned 24 a month or two ago.

**Shippou** is a fox demon that is coming up on his 17th birthday in July.

**Kikyou** is a human (with a broken back) and turns 23 a week after Kagome's birthday.

(Keep in mind that it is the beginning of June right now in the story)

Now, on with the story.  Sorry for the long authors note.

Chapter 3

Get A Clue

The next morning, Inuyasha woke up to the smell of bacon cooking downstairs.  It was a refreshing scent after eating food packed with enough preservatives to keep his body from rotting if he were to die.  

Stretching slightly as he began to fully awaken, Inuyasha glanced over at the bed that had been occupied by wench jr., only to find the bed neatly made and Kikyou's sister no where in sight.  He didn't care that much where she was, but noticed that the notebook she had been writing in last night was sitting on the desk by the bed.

Curiosity took over him and he soon found himself holding the seemingly ordinary blue notebook in his hands.  Inuyasha sat back on the bed and opened to the front page, feeling slightly guilty as he realized he was looking at a girl's personal possession without permission.  But after reading what was written, any guilt he felt was overcome by anger. 

The page read as follows:

Hey, jerk-face.  You're such a snoop.  You should know not to read a girl's journal.  But do you honestly think that I'd be stupid enough to let an idiot such as yourself actually get a hold of my journal.  I think not!  

_If you're wondering where I am, I'm probably laughing maniacally in the kitchen about the permanent marker scribbled all over your face.  I couldn't decide which color to use, so I used them all.  But the blue one matches your hair best.  That's why I took the liberty of streaking it too!  ^_^ Look at it this way; at least no fangirls will recognize you when you go out in public.  You'll probably burn out their eye sockets with how hideous you are.  After all, you do that to some of us already: namely the tajiya and me._

_I'm sure the new look will be a hit at tonight's concert, and I'll be sure to get you a matching outfit.  So don't fret yourself over what to wear._

_Well, hope you have a miserable day!_

_-Sengotsu-hime_

Inuyasha crumpled up the entire notebook in his seething anger at the gall of that stupid woman.  Talk about a way to ruin his day.  But, he would have woken up if she really had done all of that to him.  Thought the blue that caught his attention out of the corner of his eye said otherwise.

Nearly screaming in rage, Inuyasha ran to the nearby bathroom to assess the damage.  And to his horror, reds, blacks, blues, and greens thoroughly covered his face and hair.  That girl was just begging to die.  He was about to start hyperventilating when Kouga stumbled into the bathroom, rubbing his eyes.

It took a few seconds of Kouga staring at Inuyasha to realize he wasn't imagining things, and when he did, he broke out in uncontrollable fits of laughter.  "Dude, what happened to you?"  The wide grin on his face ruled out that Kouga was sympathizing with Inuyasha.

"Hey, what's with all the noi-whoa, Inuyasha, what in blazes did you do to yourself.  You do realize that that looks hideous, ne?"  Miroku had joined them in the bathroom and stared openly at Inuyasha.

"Yes, I know it looks hideous, tell that to the idiot wench that did this to me!"

Inuyasha was still just wearing his boxers, and it wasn't until he turned around to glare into the mirror again that Miroku burst out into laughter.

"Hey man, she was all over you!"  Miroku had a big lecherous grin on his face as he watched Inuyasha jerk around to face him again.

"WHAT?!"

Kouga was holding his mouth to hold back the laughter, but the mirth was evident in his eyes.  "On your back, dude.  She's written stuff all over your back!"

"What does it say?  Tell me already!"  Inuyasha turned so that his back was towards the two boys as his muscles tensed in anger.

Miroku tried to calm Inuyasha down.  "I don't think you really want to know."

"Yes I do!  Now tell me!"

Kouga cleared his throat.  "You better not kill me for reading this, but this is what it says: 'I am a fat playboy, I've slept with over half the female population of America and have countless numbers of STDs including AIDS.  So what if I'm a little too horny?  Wanna get it on?' "

"WHAT?!"  Inuyasha was holding Kouga up by his throat and glaring murderously at him within the blink of an eye.

"Inuyasha, put him down.  Kouga didn't write it!  You know that!"

Reluctantly, Inuyasha set Kouga back on his feet and stormed downstairs to where the true culprit was standing at the kitchen counter cooking breakfast.

*

Neither was sure of how it happened, but Kagome's mother managed to force both Inuyasha and Kagome into the bathroom where they were locked until Kagome was able to get Inuyasha completely free of the permanent marker.  It had to do with Kagome not going to her graduation unless Inuyasha was as spotless as when he first arrived and Inuyasha losing his job as a singer if he didn't let Kagome clean him without killing her.

So here they were, trapped together in the bathroom, both acting like three-year-olds.

"It's your fault we're in this mess."  Kagome scrubbed Inuyasha's back a little harder as she continued washing off the color and turning Inuyasha's skin red.

"I didn't tell you to write that stuff.  It's your fault."  Inuyasha scowled and flinched as the cloth bit into his back and the feeling of Kagome's nails scratching him came right through the material supposedly protecting him.  "Will you stop that already wench, you're going to make me bleed!"

"Sounds like your problem."  Kagome only scrubbed the harder and caused Inuyasha to start growling from his position kneeling on the floor between Kagome's legs.  She was seated on the toilet with dignity and Inuyasha was forced to the tile floor in front of her ever since they first were shoved in here.

A couple of hours later, Kagome was sitting with Inuyasha now facing her and she was much more gently scrubbing his face, having become tired of her angry scrubbing from before.  It was all she could do to keep herself from falling asleep.  

Inuyasha was slumped over grumpily himself, using each of Kagome's knees as armrests and fixing a halfhearted glare in her direction.  Very few words had been spoken in the last few hours, and both occupants of the bathroom were comfortable in the silence.  It had been nervous at first, but they had gotten used to each other's silent companionship. 

Kagome had been seated at the edge of the toilet seat, so when she finally was overcome by sleep, she fell forward and onto the tired hanyou.  He didn't seem to care as he caught her and moved her into a more comfortable position and slumped against the bathroom wall himself.

The majority of the marker had been gotten rid of, and Inuyasha's hair was still damp from its scrubbing, but neither boy nor girl cared as sleep possessed the quiet bathroom.

Kagome snuggled against Inuyasha's bare chest, water from his hair dripping down and adding more water to her already damp blue t-shirt.  Her legs were on either side of his torso, having not moved from when she first fell on Inuyasha, and her arms were placed firmly on his muscular chest.  A peaceful expression was on her face as she pressed her head down further on Inuyasha's well-toned chest.

And if thought that Kagome's position was questionable, one must look again at what the sleeping hanyou was doing.  One arm was wrapped around Kagome's waist and the hand slipping under her bunched up shirt, almost reaching the elastic of her bra, his hand being so large.  The other hand had found the skin of Kagome's upper thigh beneath her jean shorts and was snugly pressed between the material and her leg.

So for either of them their position could definitely be questioned, especially considering the length of time the two had known each other and how they ended up alone together in the first place.

*

Mrs. Higurashi felt it was about time to unlock the door to the bathroom and let the two quarrelers out.  It was almost one in the afternoon, and Kagome's graduation was in a little over an hour.

There had been silence in the bathroom for a good three hours, the arguments having stopped after only the first half hour.  She had taken that as a good sign, and decided to leave them alone, but now it was time for the day's activities to commence.

The key clicked in the lock and Terri opened the door without a sound.  She heard the pair's steady breathing and found them precariously positioned in the corner where the side of the tub met the wall.  The short-haired woman was pleasantly surprised by this turn of events, having already set her eyes on Inuyasha to be the father of her grandchildren.

So just as silently as Terri had entered the cleaning room, she exited to go locate her brand new digital camera.  Once found, she returned to the bathroom and took several pictures from different angles of the sleeping couple.

And as soon as she was satisfied, she left and put her camera away.  This time when she came back to the bathroom, she did plan to wake them.  But she didn't want them to know what she had seen, so Terri knocked on the closed bathroom door to alert them of her presence.

"Kagome, Inuyasha.  You can come out now.  It's time to get ready to go to the graduation."

She heard a yelp from inside the room and could just picture those two jumping away from each other like they were the Black Plague. 

*

"Inuyasha, get your hand out of there!"  Kagome hissed as she tried to keep her voice down as well as the blush on her face while Inuyasha attempted to pull his hand out of her shorts in a rushed haste.  She could still feel his warm hand on the skin of her waist as he tried pulling her away from his offending hand.

"I'm trying, wench!  Don't think that I'm enjoying this."  Inuyasha too had a light pink blush on his cheeks as he continued to struggle with his hand, until finally it slipped out of Kagome's pants.

Once it was out, Kagome jumped to her feet and ran to the door and out of the bathroom.  Her hands batted at her cheeks, trying to reduce the cherry color that they had gained from the occurrences of the last few minutes.  Thank goodness her mother hadn't seen that, otherwise she would never hear the end of it.  

Surprisingly, Kagome felt more refreshed now than she had ever felt after sleeping.  Even if they had only been sleeping for less than an hour.

Kagome got ready for her graduation and met up with the other members of Sengotsu to head over to the school gym where the ceremony would take place.  Kagura was only going to watch, so took a seat in the front row of the chairs while the other four girls headed to the classrooms where the seniors were gathering.

Graduation went smoothly, if you don't count the members of Enchanted showing up and distracting every young female bachelor present.  Excluding three of the five members of Sengotsu.  Kagome turned bright red at the sight of Inuyasha, and Ami was still a fan of the band minus Miroku.

After graduation, instead of heading to their graduation party with their class, the girls headed to the concert hall downtown where they, as well as Enchanted, would be performing.  Then tomorrow morning they were going to leave and head to China.

*

The first song of the night was performed by Enchanted, and it was a song they had never sung before in front of a crowd.  

"Before we start the song, I'd like to dedicate it to two girls I know.  One was my girlfriend up till a few hours ago, and the other is her little sister.  So now, in honor of these to girls, Enchanted will now play Get A Clue."

Screams rang up from the crowd and Kagome nearly lost her stomach backstage at how loved that idiot at the microphone was.  And dedicating a song to her and her sister?  What was all that about?  Especially when he basically said that he and Kikyou had broken it off.

Inuyasha played a complicated solo on his guitar, then strung a chord with Kouga and Miroku joining in to harmonize.

A scowl crossed the hanyou's face, obviously setting him in the mood for the lyrics he was about to lip sing...wait, he wasn't lip singing…that was genuine.  Wow, totally unexpected.  And what really surprised Kagome was that he actually sounded halfway decent.

_I don't care what you think_

_The world don't revolve 'round you_

_So get out of my way; I'm heading for fame_

_No strings attached, Get A Clue_

Well, that explained why he had dedicated the song to them.  He hated both daughters of his producer.

_You think we're an item_

_You'd better look again_

_There's a screw you should tighten_

_In your big head_

At that a smile spread across her face, as she pictured Kikyou with a head twice the size of her body.  But a frown covered her features immediately when she remembered that the song was probably also referring to her.

_We had a little fling_

_Fun while it lasted_

_But now I do sing:_

_Get A Clue_

The rest of the song, Kagome had a scowl on her face, ready to pummel Inuyasha the second he got off stage.  It would serve him right for so kindly dedicating such an atrocious song to her.

_I don't care what you think_

_The world don't revolve 'round you_

_So get out of my way; I'm heading for fame_

_No strings attached, Get A Clue_

_You called me ugly_

_Stubborn and cruel_

_You said I looked stud-ly_

_Before all your nasty rules_

_You're a wench too_

_So get over yourself_

_Worse than Winnie the Pooh_

_So Get A Clue_

_I don't care what you think_

_The world don't revolve 'round you_

_So get out of my way; I'm heading for fame_

_No strings attached, Get A Clue_

_I don't care what you think_

_The world don't revolve 'round you_

_So get out of my way; I'm heading for fame_

_No strings attached_

Get A Clue 

As Inuyasha ended the song and waved to the crowd, Kagome clenched her fists in anger, preparing for her own comeback when it was her group's turn to play.  And, oh so conveniently, her father had planned it that every other song would be Sengotsu so that Enchanted would have a nice little break between numbers.

So as Enchanted left stage and the five girls from Sengotsu stepped on in their places, Kagome racked her memory for the perfect song for Inuyasha after his little performance.

It came to her as she stepped up to the microphone.

"Sorry to disappoint all you Enchanted fans, but the Japanese group Sengotsu would now like to play a song for you.  We'll be playing after each of Enchanted's numbers."  Kagome looked back at Sango and Kagura, who were still settling in to their spots and winked when they looked at her.  "In case you didn't know, my older sister Kikyou was just recently dating Inuyasha, and he so kindly dedicated his last song to the two of us.  Now I'd like to return the favor and dedicate this next song to him."  

Kagome looked back at Sango in a questioning glance, and her friend seemed to get the jiff of it when she smiled maliciously and nodded.

"Then this next song, I dedicate to the leader singer of Enchanted."

Sango appeared to be about to burst out in laughter as she handed her drumsticks to Ami and grabbed Kagome's earpiece to put in her own ear for the microphone.

~

**Inutori:** I forgot to mention at the top that I don't own Inuyasha or the rest of the cast, but that I do own Ami and Kagome's dad.

**Inuyasha:** I would think that'd be a given.

**Inutori:** You never know, after all, I said I owned Inutori and she was kidnapped anyway.

**Kagome:** Why did you leave the story off right there of all places?

**Inutori:** Because I put in a song per chapter, and two in one would be too much.  I'm saving it.  Which reminds me.  These songs also can't be used, due to the fact that I've written them all.  That's why I am able to describe how they're written the way I do.  I can write them in maybe half an hour, then have a tune for it in the next ten minutes.  I sang Yesterday to my mom right after I wrote it, and she said, "I don't get it."  She said it was good, but that she had no idea what the message was.  That's understandable considering she doesn't know who Inuyasha and Kagome are, though.

**Kagome:** So just remember that any and all songs used in this ARE original creations of the author and are not to be used without Inutori's permission and you have to give her credit.

**Inutori:** Something I'm curious about is: Do they look like real songs when you read them?


	4. Satuday, June 19

**Inutori:** For everyone's reading pleasure, I present chapter 4 of this story.  I appreciate all of the positive feedback I have been receiving about my songs, and I hope that this next one won't make you think ill of me.  I wrote it late at night on a road trip.

**Inuyasha:** You do almost everything late at night or when you're sick, so what's the difference?

**Inutori:** Oh, shut up already, Inuyasha.  I'm sick a lot, otherwise I wouldn't have the time to write all that I do and dance five days a week, and be in all honors classes at school.

**Kagome:** At least when you're sick home from school, you aren't actually fighting demons in the past.

**Inutori:** Are you so sure of that?

**Kagome:** …

**Inutori:** Well, I don't own the Inuyasha cast, so don't sue me for using them.

Chapter 4

Whoops!

"Then this next song, I dedicate to the leader singer of Enchanted."

Sango appeared to be about to burst out in laughter as she handed her drumsticks to Ami and grabbed Kagome's earpiece to put in her own ear for the microphone.

"Give it up for Whoops!"  Sango smiled brightly at the crowd and subtly stretched her arm muscles out as she flung her arms around for the crowd. 

Ami hadn't played the drums for a good week or two, so was refreshing her memory silently as Sango egged the crowd on.

Kagome joined Ayame at the large microphone towards the side of the stage.  Kagura stood on the opposite side holding her bass laxly, anticipating the song.

The lead singer of Sengotsu shared a knowing glance with her brunette friend beside her.  They silently hummed their pitch, and then nodded four beats, singing the first lines in a graceful harmony.

_Whoops!_

_I slipped up again!_

_Whoops!_

_Didn't mean to do that!_

Kagura and Ami played a rock hard beat as they all watched Kagome in anticipation.  They could make this song as long or as short as they wanted depending on her.  So when Kagome joined in with her electric melody, they all knew what to do.  The bass player pulled back to only playing a steady beat in the background and Ami tapped lightly on the cymbals.  Kagome too, seemed to be playing just a harmony, and this was explained as soon as Sango came in with her tough voice.

Most people don't enjoy rap that much, but when Sango sung it, she actually made it sound good.

_So I'm a clutz,_

_No puedo penzar_

_I have limited abilities_

_And when you open your eyes_

_All you see is me_

_I'm no Sailor Moon _

_No powers of Love_

_Only stay on my feet _

_When the going gets tough…_

The three instruments picked up again, Kagome playing a melody that sounded like a toned down version of the verse Sango had just rapped.  Kagome and Ayame harmonized again, smiling brightly, knowing that this couldn't get any better.

_Whoops!_

_Was that really me?_

_Whoops!_

Sango interrupted with her macho sounding voice for the next line.

_Can I try again?_

She went back into her 'rapping mode,' as Kagome so fondly called it, as the next lines came up after several measures of just instrumentals.

_I've slipped too many times to care_

_So just get out of my hair_

_I don't need you to hold my hand_

_I can take care of myself_

_Don't treat me like a doll,_

_I'm not that fragile_

_The female version of a world wrestling champion_

_No natural grace of my own_

_So just leave me alone…_

Sango had been dancing and jumping around the stage throughout the entire song, explaining why she would need to warm up her muscles.  Her expressions and actions mimicked the mood of the song and she seemed to be really enjoying herself.  All of Sengotsu joined in for the next few lines as each of their smiles grew to an unmatchable size.

_Whoops!_

_Stay out of my way!_

_Whoops!_

Sango spoke the next line harshly without the rest of the group of back up.

_Was that your face?_

_You think I'm lucky to have you_

_Well you better think again_

_I'm not one to pass out affections,_

_No matter how desperate I am_

_I don't need your lovin'_

_And I don't need your carin'_

_Just back off and let me plow through, _

_Cuz' I'm on my way_

_Out of here._

Guitar and drums followed and then the entire group sang melodiously:

_Whoops!_

For the end, Sango sarcastically looked at the audience and raised her eyebrows.

_Did I do that?_

Cheers rang up through the crowd that anyone could have attested to the fact that they were louder than what Enchanted had received.  This made the girls all smile in pride and hustle off stage so that the boy band could do their next number.

*

The rest of the concert went without flaw, but afterwards, Sengotsu could be found lounging on the couches backstage laughing about the faces of Enchanted after their opening song. 

Their jaws had apparently been ripped from their sockets since they were hanging on the floor.  And Ayame firmly holds to her claim that Miroku was drooling.  

The conversation then floated to the bass player's perverted ways and him trying to grope Sango.  (Who knows where that idea came from)

"Well, you know me, if he ever tries that, I'll-" Sango had been on her feet, swinging her fist, when it came in contact with the nose of none other than the subject of the conversation.  "Oh, Houshi-sama, I'm so sorry!  I didn't see you there!"  Sango knelt down next to the fallen member of Enchanted with genuine worry etched on her face.

That is, worry was on her face until Miroku's hand reached up and grabbed her posterior, giving it a slight squeeze.

"Forget it, I'm not sorry."  Sango slammed her fist into Miroku's face calmly and stood back up with a small huff.  The other girls in the room took a moment to glance at the black-haired boy on the floor and see that he was out cold.

"Good thing the concert is over."  Ami smiled slightly at Sango and motioned for her to sit back down.  It would do no good to have Sango breaking Miroku's ribs with all of the kicking she was giving him.

The other two members of Enchanted soon entered the room, looking strangely at the crumpled form of their bass player as they stepped over him.

"Oi, wench, what in the world possessed you to write that wretched song, and then have the gall to put my face on it?"  Inuyasha glared pointedly at Kagome, who was leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the room calmly.

"And while we're asking questions…the slut called.  She said she was watching the concert from the hospital and wants to know why she wasn't informed of your breakup."  Kagome didn't even look at Inuyasha as she worked on something in her hands.

"Keh.  Why should I need to tell anyone about my personal life."  Inuyasha folded his arms and resumed his usual pose as all five girls of Sengotsu sweat-dropped.

Ayame seemed to gain her voice back first after the stunned silence.  "Um…Inuyasha, you do realize that the 'slut' Kagome-chan is referring to is Kikyou, ne?"

If one looked close enough, you could see the muscle just below Inuyasha's right eye twitch with the female youkai's comment.  "Keh, like I care."  He left the room again not wanting to be embarrassed further, apparently.  That left only Kouga to torture.

Kouga backed towards the door nervously at all of the malicious smiles plastered on the girls' faces.  All but Kagome were slowly approaching him slowly.  Before he was able to bolt, Ami had slapped a large statue over his hand, slamming him into the floor.

"Well, Ayame, what shall we do to this victim?"  Ami grabbed Kouga's ponytail and forced his head up.  

The two brunettes laughed silently and pulled out some paints.  "Well, my partner in crime, I say we make him look more like his attitude.  What do you say?"

Ami, with her short hair pulled up into pigtails and her longer hair in the front pinned back with berets, raised her eyebrows.  "Sounds good to me."

*

One could say that Kouga was not at all pleased with the result of the two girl's ministrations, but that the Sengotsu girls were fairly amused.  They had painted his hair puke green, one of the worst colors ever invented according to Kagome, and his lips were painted red along with a large area around them.  All in all, he ended up looking somewhat like a deranged clown.

They were back at the shrine trying to catch a few hours of sleep before their flight.  Four of the five members of Sengotsu were at their own houses and not at the shrine, but the fifth lived there and so had no choice.

"Oi, wench, turn off the light."  Inuyasha glared over at Kagome, who was lying in her bed, glaring right back at him.

"Why don't you?  You're closer."  Kagome was almost growling at him from her position and had to refrain from leaping at Inuyasha and ripping him limb from limb.

"Because I told you to."

"Why did you break up with the bimbo anyway?"  Kagome turned her head so that she wasn't looking at Inuyasha anymore, obviously disturbed by the sight before her.

"Nani?  Where did that come from?"  Inuyasha's eyes had widened and he was staring openly at Kagome's profile.

"No where, just curious."  Kagome sighed, tired from the night's activities, and gathered her energy to stand up and walk across the room to turn off the light.  Inuyasha didn't make a single noise the entire time she was moving across the room and just watched her body out of the corner of his eye.

Once she was settled back in bed, Inuyasha decided to speak.  "I just thought I'd try my hand at a real relationship for once."

"Oh really?"  Kagome turned and looked at Inuyasha's silhouette created by the moonlight shining through the window.  "Have a girl in mind?"

"Yes."  Inuyasha's answer was quiet and Kagome barely caught it.

"Who?"

"Stop asking me questions, wench."  Kagome saw his glowing eyes through the darkness, and realized that it looked quite intimidating.  "I don't need you poking your nose into my personal affairs."

"Like Kikyou poking her nose into why you broke it off with your girlfriend, which just so happened to be her?"

"Keh."

Not a word more was spoken in the room and Kagome had drifted off to sleep.  Inuyasha, however, remained awake and gazed at the girl's sleeping form.  Ever since he had woken up in the bathroom with Kagome in his arms, he had begun to reconsider his relationship with women.  It had only been for a second that he had been so content with the young girl in his arms, and the trance had been broken when Kagome woke up, but Inuyasha had realized that there was something that he was missing.

*

Ami met up with Ayame the next morning in front of Kagome's house and they hid their bags in the brush at the base of the shrine steps.  They smiled and chatted of yesterday's events.

"Hey, Ayame.  Did you see the look in Kagome's eyes at graduation yesterday?"

"Yeah.  It totally looked like she was in love."  Ayame's eyes glinted with mischievousness as the two trucked up the long stone steps.

"That's what I think too, but with who?"  Ami fingered her skirt with her fingers, enjoying the soft feeling of the material.

Ayame shrugged and took a leap to land at the top of the stairs, having grown impatient with just walking up.  The fox youkai followed suit and soon both were standing by Kagome's front door, ringing the bell.

"Well I personally want to find out, after all, Kagome's old enough to get married now."

"Not for another week, I'm not."  

Ami sweat dropped and looked at the figure of Kagome standing at the door holding it open with a scowl on her face.

"Ohiyo to you to, Kagome-chan."  Ayame glared lightly at Kagome, and ducked under the black-haired girl's arm to enter the house.

"Gomen nasai, Ayame-chan!  I was just distracted by Ami-chan."  Kagome left the door open for Ami to come in and ran to catch up to Ayame.  

The three girls laughed a little and were soon seated in the living room, talking like chipmunks about the upcoming tour.

"I can't believe this is actually happening!  You know, if you told me a month ago I'd be going around the world, I would have directed you to the nearest loony bin, but now!"  Ami squealed with delight and popped into a smaller version of herself using her kitsune magic.

Kagome smiled brightly at the Ami-chibi and turned back to Ayame.  "Hey, I just remembered, I wrote a song two nights ago when the bozos first arrived.  Want to take a look at it?"

"Hai!"  Both Ayame and Ami smiled back at Kagome, Ami having turned back to her normal self.

*

Inuyasha dashed away from the door, not wanting to get caught spying on the girls as they chatted.  But that girl's smile, it was something else.  Not really thinking, Inuyasha bounded up to Kagome's room where he could sit and think on his own.

Little did he realize that the bedroom was exactly where all of the girls were headed.  It took a few minutes longer than normal, due to the fact that Sango had arrived, but they were up in Kagome's room nonetheless.

"Ugh, Kagome-chan, I feel so sorry for you."  Sango looked down at the silver-haired hanyou in disgust.

"It's not so bad, I mean, all you have to do is ignore him!"  Somewhere deep inside Inuyasha, he felt a crushing sensation with those words.

Ami looked down at Inuyasha's face, which was turned to the side, then back at Kagome.  "That wasn't a very nice thing to say, Kagome-chan, and in front of Inuyasha-kun no less."

"Keh, like I care what that wench says."  Inuyasha obviously had been listening to them, for were it not that way, he wouldn't have added his two cents to the conversation.  His ear swiveled in their direction, but otherwise he didn't move.

Kagome seemed to agree because without another word, she pulled out a binder with several sheets of paper stuffed into it.  From there she removed a couple pieces of paper, one with lyrics and the other with the melody.

"It's kinda more angst-y than our other ones, and I thought Kag would like it.  What do you say we learn to play this and then perform it for her for her birthday next month?"  Kagome looked at the members of the group.

Ayame smiled.  "This would be the perfect opportunity for me to play on the bass for a main song."  

"And I could play on the keyboard!"  Ami just seemed a little too perky as she spoke; maybe having Lucky Charms for breakfast wasn't such a good idea…(Inuyasha could smell it on her breath)

"Sing it for us, Kagome, and we'll try to follow along, then maybe we could be able to tell if it'd be possible."  Sango seemed to be the most hesitant of all of them to make a commitment just yet, but if he could hear her sing, then it'd be worth it.

"I guess I could."  Kagome took in a breath, and sweetly sang out the melody that Inuyasha had heard for the first time just 36 hours before.  

Halfway through the song, the other three girls began to lightly hum counter melodies that could possibly add to the feeling.  And by the end of the song, they all seemed to have it worked out in their mind what they were going to do.

"Wow, Kagome-chan, you always write the best songs."  Ami smiled again.  They all seemed to be doing a lot of that.  Well, as long as they didn't kick Inuyasha out of the room, he was happy.

"My favorite is still Whoops, though."  Ayame looked behind her at the hanyou still in the room questioningly as she spoke.

"That's only your favorite because Kagome wrote that one with Sango after your breakup to make you feel better."  Ami's eyebrow twitched slightly in annoyance at her sempai.  

"Your point being?"  Ayame cocked an eyebrow at Ami with a slight smile on her face.

Ami sighed and glanced at Inuyasha.  "I think dog boy is getting annoyed with our conversation."

Sango followed Ami's gaze and left her eyes on the hanyou for only a second.  "It's not like he's tied to the floor, he **can** leave."  The black-haired girl rolled her eyes and went back to ignoring the lead singer of Enchanted's presence.

*

As the last member of Enchanted climbed onto the private jet, the doors closed and the plane began to roll down the runway.  Apparently the pilots didn't care to give their passengers warning, because only the girls were seated when the plane took off and ascended into the atmosphere at a rather rapid rate.

Miroku had 'accidentally' fallen into Ayame's lap when they first began to fly, and he quickly found himself at the back of the plane sporting several new bruises thanks to Ayame and her friend seated beside her, which just so happened to be Sango.

Strange as the boys found it, Sango had brought a large something-or-other that resembled a giant boomerang.  Its use became apparent when Miroku's head had been almost crushed in due to the impact between him and the bone-colored object.

She called it Hairakotsu, but due to the boys' lack of expertise in the Japanese language, all they knew was that kotsu meant bone.  Probably translated to something along the lines of bone-crusher…at least, that's what Miroku said.

"Kagome, earth to Kagome."  Kagome snapped out of her stupor and nearly jumped out of her skin as her eyes focused on Ami.

"Girl, you are a little too hyper for your own good."  Kagome let her heart calm down as she took several deep breaths.

"Domo arigato, Kagome-sempai!"  Ami cocked her head to the side angelically and smiled.  Then she leaned in and whispered, "I just thought I'd bring you back to Earth before a certain someone started drooling."

Kagome flushed.  "I was not going to drool!"  Her voice was hushed, but Inuyasha's ear swiveled in their direction from across the plane signifying that he was all-ears.

"Not you, I'm talking about…" Ami swung her head back in the direction of Inuyasha.

"Nani yo?"  Kagome glanced at Inuyasha from around Ami's small frame, there was a light pink tint to his cheeks, but that could have just been her imagination.  

"No joke, he was staring at you."  Ami mouth turned up with a conspirator's smile, obviously having had some grand idea pop into her head.  "But you know, it doesn't look like you mind that much."

"What are you talking about?  Ami-chan!"  Kagome nearly yelled at the top of her lungs at she stood up from her seat and looked down at the sixteen-year-old kitsune.

*

An hour or two later, everything had settled down and only two people remained awake, one from Sengotsu and the other from Enchanted.

"Are you cold?"  The member of Sengotsu stood up and approached the male figure from the famous American band.

"No."

"Then why are you shivering?"

"…"

"You could just turn off this fan, you know.  If you did I'm sure you would be a lot more comfortable, baka."

~

**Inutori:** OK, I'll end it there, and you all better not complain too much about it.  I'm making the chapters of this a lot longer than the chapters of any of my other stories.

**Inuyasha:** Just shut up wench, no one but you likes hearing your annoying voice.

**Inutori:** Same goes for your voice for the English dubbed version of the show.

**Inuyasha:** …

**Inutori:** OK, minna-san, take a guess at who the two people who were talking at the end there.  It will be revealed in the next chapter!  Ja ne!


	5. Sunday, June 20

**Inutori:** I don't own Inuyasha, Kouga, Miroku, Kagome, Sango, Ayame, Kagura, Haraikotsu, or any other thing mentioned that actually belongs to Rumiko-chan.  But I do own the rights to all of the songs sung in this story, no matter how atrocious they are, and Kagome's dad and Ami.  One of who plays a major roll in this story.  Bet you can't guess which.

**Inuyasha:** That's a no brain-er.

**Inutori:** Shut up Inuyasha, I don't want you giving it away.

**Kagome:** Yeah, but he's right you know, anyone in their right mind would no the answer to your bet.

**Inutori:** Oh, someone guessed right on who the two people chatting at the end of the last chapter were, but I can't seem to recall the reviewer's name…

**Inuyasha:** *hits Inutori* Stop thinking!  There's smoke coming out your ears!

**Inutori:** Oh, leave me alone, dog-face!

Chapter 5

Violence IS Necessary

**Last Time:**

An hour or two later, everything had settled down and only two people remained awake, one from Sengotsu and the other from Enchanted.

"Are you cold?"  The member of Sengotsu stood up and approached the male figure from the famous American band.

"No."

"Then why are you shivering?"

"…"

"You could just turn off this fan, you know.  If you did I'm sure you would be a lot more comfortable, baka."

**And now on with the story…**

Miroku looked up at the black-haired girl standing beside him slightly grumpily.  He hated flying, and he was tired from not getting enough sleep the previous night.  "Would you just leave me alone?"

"Whatever happened to that smooth talking hentai from yesterday, hm?"  The girl leaned down further and looked more closely into the young adult's eyes.

"He ran away with the ability to sleep."

"Interesting.  So you become sober, so to speak, when you don't sleep?"  Her red eyes disappeared behind her eyelids as she stood back up straight.  "That could be useful information for the future."

Miroku turned away from Kagura, feeling the full force of his fatigue hit.  Hopefully he'd be back to himself by the time the plane landed, but for now, he'd play the part of Scrooge.  "Take a hike."

Kagura laughed, and Miroku cringed.  'She really shouldn't laugh, it sounds so evil.'  

"Sorry, boy, can't take a hike.  In case you had forgotten, we just so happen to be over 1000 feet in the air, and I'm not about to commit suicide by stepping outside into the thin atmosphere."  She stopped laughing and glared again at Miroku.

Then a thought came to Miroku.  "Why are you a member of Sengotsu anyway?  You don't seem the type of person."

"Money, I guess.  What's it to you?"  Her expression seemed to get even darker as she looked at Miroku.

"Sorry, but that just seems kind of shallow, don't you think?"

"Hmph.  It's not any of your business as to why I am in a band.  Anything I do is only in my best interest, you should do the same, if you want to save your neck in the real world, that is."  She looked at him one last time and gave him a look that said he wasn't worth her time, and then went back to the rear of the plane where she had originally been seated.

Miroku began to ponder about Kagura's character, and began to wonder how she hooked up with Sengotsu in the first place.  He was only able to speculate for a few minutes before sleep possessed his body and he slumped against the nearby window.

*

Ayame grabbed both of Sango's wrists and yanked her out of her seat, jerking her out of her peaceful slumber.  "Sango, we've landed!"

"Nani?"  Sango apparently wasn't fully back in the world of the living, and was having trouble turning the stiff gears of her brain.

"We just landed!  We're in CHINA!"  Ayame smiled warmly and looked around the cabin of the airplane, seeing all of the quietly snoozing musicians.

"Why did you have to wake me up first?"  Sango stifled a large yawn and slumped back in her seat.

"Ayame, why are you making all that racket?"  Sango and Ayame turned to see Ami rubbing her eyes tiredly while holding a small, baby blue blanket.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauties!  It's a beautiful day in China, and there are shops all over this city calling for us to go there!"  Ayame seemed to have stolen all of Ami's earlier energy, for she was now eagerly punching her fist into the air.

"I'll rise, but I won't shine."

"Ah, come on, Kagome, don't be such a spoilsport."  Sango smiled knowingly at Kagome, who had apparently just woken up.

"Will all you wenches shut up?  You're giving me a headache."

Each of the four girls chatting turned angrily to see Inuyasha sitting facing away from them slightly with an apparent scowl covering his features.

"I don't know, Kagome-chan, you're starting to get some competition for your spot as spoilsport."  Ami looked between Inuyasha and Kagome with a slight smirk.

"Whoever said I was a spoilsport?"  Kagome frantically waved her hands in front of her face in an attempted defense.

"We did."  Sango, Ayame, and Ami all chorused their response to Kagome in monotone voices.

Kagome sweat dropped and scratched the back of her head.  "Yeah, well, Inuyasha can take the stupid spot for all I care."

"What, Kagome is backing out of a challenge?"  Sango looked mischievously at Ayame and Ami, and then threw Kagome a questioning glance.

"There was no challenge in the first place, so how could I be-"

"Ah, but you see, there was a challenge…"  Ami smiled broadly at Kagome and inched towards the unsuspecting girl.

"WILL YOU WOMEN SHUT YOUR TRAPS FOR JUST FIVE MINUTES?  IS THAT REALLY TOO MUCH TO ASK?"  Inuyasha apparently was on his last straw and a vein popped out of his forehead as he glared at the noisy culprits.

"Dude, dog-breath, keep it down, will ya?  Some of us are trying to sleep."  Kouga stood up and stretched his arms above his head.

Kagome was forced to elbow Ayame and Ami before they started drooling.  

"Shut it, wimpy-wolf, I can do whatever I please."  Inuyasha glared at Kouga for a brief moment before returning his focus to the girls that were giving him a strange look.

Sango looked over to see Kagura opening the door that lead to the location of the exit of the plane.  She nudged Kagome to get her attention, and they silently nodded to each other and stood, exiting the cabin and following after the bass player of their band.

Confused, Ami and Ayame wandered after them, followed by Inuyasha and Kouga.  This left a snoring Miroku in the plane all by his lonesome.  It seemed that Kagura had started a strange train just by leaving the premises.

In the end, the train ended up at the hotel they were supposed to stay in.  None of them were quite sure how they had managed it, but there they were, checking in and getting their rooms.

That's when Inuyasha and Kouga realized that Miroku was still on the plane.

*

Miroku woke up, noticing the dead silence around him.  Looking around, he found the area deserted of any other inhabitants.  Furrowing his eyebrows, the bass player stood up and exited the plane.

Standing on the airfield, Miroku didn't catch sight of anyone he recognized, so began wandering aimlessly.

"Ko, airishi lanteri wan amo!" (A/N, sorry to bother you, but this is gibberish, since I don't speak Chinese)

Miroku turned around confusedly and looked at a man who apparently worked at the airport approaching him.  "Are you talking to me?"

"Joal goqa, amo."  The man seemed angry with him, but Miroku had no idea as to why.

"I don't speak Chinese.  Do you happen to speak English?"  Miroku tried to keep a cool head as he walked toward the Chinese man.

"Raest godes sobotak pritaverkel."

Miroku just blinked at the man stupidly.  "Umo…"

"Raest godes sobotak pritaverkel, joal"

He needed to get out of there, he had no idea what this man was saying to him, but the tone made Miroku realize that this dude was not happy one iota.

So, not really thinking through the situation, Miroku did the first thing that came to him: he ran.  Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to do, since Miroku had no idea where he was going.  But he truly began to realize his stupidity as the sirens started up and the airport security began chasing him.

*

Inuyasha and Kouga returned to the plane and looked around inside.  No Miroku.

The two guys shrugged, thinking nothing of it, and left again.  When they got back to the hotel, Ami and Kagome nearly punched them.

"You insufferable jerks!  You're just going to let Miroku wander around the city alone?"

"Keh, of course."  Inuyasha turned away from Kagome and pulled out his key to go into his room.

"What if something happens to him?  What if he never shows up?"  Kagome followed him into his room yelling the entire way.

"It's not like this is the first time he got lost."

"WHAT?  He's gotten lost before?"  Kagome refrained from punching the wall in her anger.

"Yeah, in New York he was missing for two and a half days…in New Orleans he would have been missing, but the police picked him up and brought him to the hotel…when we went to DC he disappeared without a trace and popped up a week later half dead…"

"Enough, I don't need to hear this!"  Kagome shot an angry look at Inuyasha.  "Did you ever stop to think about the fact that everywhere else he got lost, he was in a place where the natives spoke the same language as him?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly, then he sat down with a slight huff in one of the hotel chairs.  "Keh, like I really care."

"You're impossible."  With that, Kagome opened the door that connected his room with the one next-door and walked through.  Apparently the other inhabitant had already opened the other side.

"What the-"

Inuyasha stood up and followed Kagome through the door.

"I didn't say you could come into my room."  That voice belonged to none other than the lead singer of Sengotsu herself: Kagome.  Her voice gave away to the fact that she was highly irritated with Inuyasha.

*

Miroku had been taken to the police station and he was given one call, in which he called Sesshoumaru, his manager, since he didn't know the number of the hotel at which his counterparts in the band were staying.

The inu youkai had reluctantly agreed to come and bail the 'monk' out of jail.  And so here they were, driving towards the hotel where everyone else was staying already.

"Slow down!  Sesshoumaru!  You're going to kill us!"  Miroku braced himself on the seats armrests as he looked in horror at the traffic they were speeding past.

"Shut your mouth human, be grateful I even picked you up."  Sesshoumaru glared coldly at Miroku, taking his eyes off of the road.

"Watch where we're going, will ya?  I want to live to see the day I can drink!"

Sesshoumaru took a deadly swerve to the right and pulled into a hotel parking lot, skidding to a stop in one of the many parking spaces.

Miroku immediately jumped out of the car and kissed the ground below him.

"Filthy human, get your mouth off of the ground.  We're going inside."

Miroku reluctantly got up and followed after Sesshoumaru into the large building.  They stopped at the front desk to check in before heading to the elevators.

One of the elevator doors opened and Sesshoumaru quickly stepped in and glared coldly at all of the current occupants of the elevator.  Whether or not they meant to get out on that floor, all scurried away quickly like frightened deer.

Sesshoumaru then took the opportunity to glare at Miroku, as if challenging him to get in the elevator.  He did so, but was soon picked up and thrown back out by Sesshoumaru.

"Ite, hey man, did ya have to throw me so hard?"  Miroku rubbed his head and glanced back at Sesshoumaru through the closing elevator doors.

"Yes."  And then Sesshoumaru was gone, and Miroku was obliged to press the 'up' button on the wall once again.

He waited for a little over a minute before another elevator stopped on the floor and he was able to head up to his room.  

Upon arriving, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he found Kouga peaking out from behind his bed in apparent fright.

"Oh, it's just you.  I thought it was someone else."  Kouga stood up and ran past Miroku, slamming the door shut.

"Who did you think it'd be?"  Miroku looked back curiously at the drummer of Enchanted.

Kouga turned away from him and blushed slightly.  "I'd rather not say."

"Oh, come on.  Who did you think was coming in?"

"Ami or Sango."  Kouga gulped and looked away from Miroku.

Miroku gave Kouga's back a skeptical look.  "Why are you hiding from them anyway?"

"No reason."  With that, Kouga ran through the door the connected Miroku's room with the one next-door.

* 

The next evening, after a day of shopping and hanging out at the hotel, the boys had a concert.  They were tuckered out from being dragged along by the girls to carry bags and boxes, so none were really up to the performance.

As they stood up on stage, the only one with any energy left; and the only one who didn't go shopping, thought of a way to pump some blood into his two counterparts.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming out here tonight.  Miroku and Kouga are a little out of it right now, so I figured we'd start off the concert with one of our older songs.  As I'm sure some of you know, Kouga and I were wrestlers in High School, and that's when we had written this song.  Minna, I present to you, Violence IS Necessary."

Screams rang up through the crowd as Miroku and Kouga groaned.  They were really too tired to play such an upbeat and demanding song.  But Inuyasha was the leader, and he had already made the decision without them, it was their duty to follow along.

Miroku played a few low, smooth notes on his bass, and then was joined by Kouga on the drum set.  Last to come in was Inuyasha with the electric.  

_Remind me again _

_Just tell me again_

Who was that guy 

_That said, _

_"Violence isn't necessary"?_

Cries rang out through the crowd as the boys played one of the songs that had really made them famous.  It was one of the pieces that was on their first album and was constantly sung at WWE tournaments.

_Throw a punch my way_

_And I'll throw one right back_

_Give me a kick_

_And I'll return the gift_

_Brawlin' over breakfast_

_A fistfight 'fore lunch_

_Friendly wrestlin' match _

_Mid afternoon_

_So…who was the guy that said_

_"Violence isn't necessary"?_

_I live for the thrill of battle_

_To hear a satisfying crunch_

_Maybe it's a little gruesome_

_But I'll only do that after lunch_

_Don't like to pick on the weak_

_They're never any fun_

_So toss a leg, swing an arm_

_I'll take on anyone_

_Tell me again_

_Why isn't violence necessary?_

_Throw a punch my way_

_And I'll throw one right back_

_Give me a kick_

_And I'll return the gift_

_Brawlin' over breakfast_

_A fistfight 'fore lunch_

Friendly wrestlin' match 

_Mid afternoon_

_Can't get enough action_

_Violence is so necessary_

_I live for the fights on a daily basis_

Violence is necessary 

Inuyasha smiled as the crowd cheered loudly for them.  A girl in the front with black hair pulled up in pigtails looked like she was about to cry.  There was a boy standing next to her that had short brown hair and a look that could probably kill.  The girl seemed to be the fan and the boy must have been dragged along.  Inuyasha felt the boy's pain.

He began to think back on Kikyou and how she had used Inuyasha.  It had annoyed Inuyasha to no end then, and just thinking about it now gave him a rush of anger.

*

It had almost been a week since they had left Japan, and they were just leaving China.  They had been delayed at customs when security tried to take Sango's Haraikotsu and she had refused, hitting them all over the head with the giant boomerang.

Apparently she couldn't part with the item, and it cost the entire group their private jet.  So now, much to Enchanted's dismay, they were traveling on a commercial airline.  Luckily for them, they were all in first class and there was no one but the nine of them up there.  The nine including Sesshoumaru, who now and then disappeared like a ghost, even in the middle of their flight to Sydney, Australia.

Sango was happily cuddling up to her boomerang, having just knocked out another stewardess and Miroku, when Kagome sat down in Miroku's vacated seat to talk to Sango.

"Hey taijiya.  What's up?"  Kagome glanced down at the monk lying in the isle of the aircraft, and then turned her attention to Sango.

"Nothing much, just a few layers of atmosphere and a vacuum filled with rocks and gas…"

"You know what I meant."  Kagome gave Sango a look that said she was none-too-pleased with Sango's earlier answer.

"Hai, hai, but I couldn't resist!  Gomen ne."  Sango smiled apologetically at Kagome quickly, and then continued.  "I think that I'm going to croak before this whole tour thing is done with.  Houshi-sama is driving me insane."

"I seriously doubt you're going to die."  Sango almost interrupted Kagome to protest, nut Kagome stopped her.  "But I wouldn't doubt it if Sengotsu ended up at an asylum before this summer comes to a close."

"So true, so true."

Sango looked behind them to see Ayame peacefully sleeping on Kouga's shoulder.  Kagome followed her gaze, smiling slightly.  "At least some of us will be able to reach some measure of sanity this season."

"Yeah."  Sango smiled and pulled out her disposable camera.  "I wonder if those two even realize what they're doing."  She unbuckled and flipped over so she was kneeling backwards in her seat, facing the sleeping pair behind them.  A picture was taken and the camera quickly found its way back into Sango's bag.  "I'm so using that as blackmail later."

Kagome giggled slightly at the thought, knowing how horrid Sango could be about the whole blackmail issue.  She took it so seriously, and wouldn't bluff at all.  Kagome had found that out the hard way when an embarrassing photo of her with her face buried in frosting ended up posted on every wall in the school.  Sango had only wanted to go shopping, but man did she take a no seriously.

So Kagome shrugged, knowing that there was no one who could stop Sango from torturing her close friends to get what she wanted.  Some may call that using your friends, but for Sango, all was well since she didn't do it THAT often.

~

**Inutori:** Done with another chapter!

**Inuyasha:** And how long did it take you to write it?

**Inutori:** Shut up Inuyasha, just because you're a half demon you never get sick.  I've been ill for the last week, and still going, so haven't been able to do much.

**Inuyasha:** Excuses, excuses.

**Kagome:** Well, it's not like YOU don't make excuses for yourself either, Inuyasha.

**Inuyasha:** Keh.

**Inutori:** Hope all of the people who enjoyed this chapter will review, unless ff.net is being stinky like it was for me last night…I read several stories, but it wouldn't let me review for any of them…but at least I tried.  So please try to review.  If ff.net won't let you, then at least you have credit for trying, aye?


	6. Monday, June 28

**Inutori:** I'd like to thank the reader who corrected me on a misspelling in the last chapter, I had meant to say 'ite' when I accidentally wrote 'iie' instead.  I'm well aware of the difference in meaning, but I was happy that it was pointed out to me, so now I've gone back and changed it.

**Inuyasha:** Oh, quit your rambling and get on with the author's note so the readers can go do what they came here for.

**Inutori:** You shut up!  *looks innocently at readers*  You didn't hear me say that…what you really heard was: I don't own Inuyasha, and I do own the songs, Ami, and Reikan.

**Kagome:** Well, that's a wrap, let's get on with the chapter!

Chapter 6

You Can't Change Me

"Kagome!  Get back here!"  A cherry-red Sango ran down the hall of the hotel chasing after a young girl that was laughing hysterically.

"Yeah right!"  Kagome dodged around a corner to escape from the crazed girl's view, and ran into something firm.  She would have fallen over had it not been for the warm pair of arms that wrapped around her.

"Kagome, I will catch…you."  Sango blinked stupidly as she turned the corner, the blush leaving her cheeks as she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Higurashi-san, if you don't stop running around like this, you could hurt yourself."  Blue eyes smiled down at Kagome.

The girl spoken to forced a smile and pried herself from the young man's grip.  "Ohayo, Houjo-kun."  

Sango's eye twitched slightly at Houjo's unwavering smile.  

"What brings you to Australia, Houjo-kun?"  Kagome's smile wouldn't stay plastered on her face for too much longer at this rate, and she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

"I'm here to see your concert, Higurashi-san."  Houjo pulled something from behind his back.  "This herbal tea will keep you from getting a soar throat while you sing."

Reluctantly, Kagome took the thermal container from Houjo with a forced laugh.  "A-arigato, Houjo-kun."  Kagome looked to Sango for some help.

"Oh, um…Kagome, we're going to be late for our…um…manicure…yeah, manicure…if we don't hurry.  Come on."

"Hai!"  Kagome looked at Houjo with a smile of relief.  "Gomen ne, Houjo-kun, got to go!"  With that she took off after Sango towards the elevator where they were Houjo free.

"That guy, he's like a stalker or something."  Sango glanced behind them to make sure that the brown-haired boy wasn't following.

"Don't I know it.  And to think that he followed me all the way to Australia!"  Kagome laughed slightly and handed the thermal container to a random passerby. 

"Who followed you?"

Both girls jumped and turned around to see Kouga standing in the elevator with his arms folded against his chest.

"Oh, it's just Kouga."  Kagome sighed and stepped onto the elevator, followed by Sango.

"Who's this that followed you?"  Kouga pressed the question again, obviously hoping to get an answer.

"A guy that was in our graduating class.  He's been asking me out for the last four years…and now he's here in Sydney!"  Kagome banged her head against the side of the small box they were standing in.

"Some guy is trying to hit on my woman?"  Kouga seemed to growl ferociously and flex his claws in anger.

As soon as the doors opened to the outside world, Kouga was bounding out an leaping back up the fire escape to get back to the sixth floor that they had just come from.

"No, Kouga-kun, come back here!"  Kagome rushed out, trying to stop him, but when she realized that it was useless, stopped and looked back at Sango.

Sango shrugged and calmly caught up to Kagome.  "Boys will be boys."

"Yeah, but why do the boys have to get all overprotective?  And over me no less!"  Kagome walked out of the hotel in a huff and headed for the rental car in the parking lot.  

"It just means they like you."  Sango smiled mischievously at Kagome and hopped into the driver's seat of the vehicle.

"That is just gross, Sango.  You know I'm not that interested in the male species just yet.  I'm not even 18, for crying out loud!"  Kagome climbed into the passenger seat and Sango started the car as Kagome buckled in.

"You will be tomorrow, and then you'll no longer have that defense, Kagome-chan."  Sango grinned broadly, but kept her eyes on the road.

"Don't remind me."  Kagome put her head in her hands and groaned.

"Well, as your last day as a minor, the girls are treating you out.  We're meeting them downtown."  Sango drove down the streets calmly.

"Sango-chan, how do you know where we're going?"  Kagome looked at the other occupant of the car nervously.

"I don't."

Had it not been for Kagome's seatbelt keeping her sitting up, she would have fallen over at Sango's declaration.  "So you're saying we're going to get lost?"

"We already are."  Sango spoke calmly, as if this were an everyday occurrence for her: which it probably was.

"Ugh, Sango, I don't know you."  Kagome slouched down further in her seat, humiliated by her good friend.

"Sure, whatever you say, birthday girl."

*

Inuyasha popped into Miroku's room and glanced around curiously.  "Where's Kouga?"

"How should I know?  Last time I saw him, he was chasing after some guy growling like a wolf."  Miroku only glanced up from his magazine.  It was Playboy…go figure.

"And how long ago was that?"  Inuyasha seemed to be getting impatient for some unknown reason.

"I don't know, maybe an hour or two?"  Miroku put down the magazine with a sigh.  "Look, if you need something, just tell me."

"I don't want to ask you, you have bad luck with women."  Inuyasha shot him a menacing glare before heading back into the hall.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Stop right there, man!  You need advice?"  Miroku was up in a flash and standing in front of Inuyasha before you could say 'lover boy.' 

"Sorta."  Inuyasha looked away from Miroku with a light blush on his face.  

"Well, out with it.  What's your question?"  Miroku's eyes gleamed in excitement.  He knew all too well that Inuyasha had never had a serious relationship, and this was his opportunity to help his dear friend along.

"What kind of gift would a girl like?"  Inuyasha seemed to be almost turning scarlet and he was looking at the wall for some kind of salvation.

"A gift for your special someone, aye?  Well, I can help you there, mi amigo."  Miroku patted Inuyasha's back and gave the hanyou a smile.  "Come with me and we'll get you fixed right up."

"N-nani yo?!"  Miroku dragged a reluctant Inuyasha down the hall and to the elevator.

*

Kouga scowled and ran faster after that stupid boy.  For a human the kid sure could run.  "GET BACK HERE!"

He turned a corner and caught sight of the man slightly tripping on something just ahead.

"I'LL GET YOU!  YOU LEAVE MY WOMAN ALONE!  YOU HEAR ME?" 

People that lined the streets shook their heads, figuring that the man being chased had been having an affair with the other one's wife.  One even grumbled, "You should know that you don't get involved with a demon's wife."

They must've been downtown by now, but neither human nor youkai showed any sign of slowing down.  That is, until they passed by a karaoke café.  Apparently they had one here in Australia.

Inside were all of the members of Sengotsu, laughing and having a grand time, pushing their leader towards the karaoke stage.

Kouga and Hobo…or whatever his name was…stepped inside in a slight daze to see what was going on.

"Come on, Kagome-chan!  Just one song!  Onegai?"  Ami was pulling at Kagome's hand.

"Matte!  Listen, I don't want to sing!"

"Will you do it if I sing as well?"  Kagome turned to look at Kagura in surprise.

"I-I guess." 

Sango and Ayame smiled evilly and went to the karaoke machine and were pleasantly surprised by one of the songs listed.  So, with the Kag twins onstage, Ayame punched in the number of the song the two girls were to play.

As the music started, Kagome paled and looked at Sango.  "Why this one?"

"Because you wrote it, Kagome-chan!"  Ami squealed with glee as she watched two of her good friends stand up on stage and build up their courage to sing.

As the time for the lyrics came, Kagome calmed and looked to Kagura.  Then they sang.

(Hints: normal text is Kagome singing, _italics_ are Kagura singing, **_bold italics_** are the two harmonizing, and **bold** is them singing in unison)

If I        _if I_

Had to **_stand_** alone, 

If I        _if I_

Couldn't be somebody    _be somebody_

Then **_I_**

Would cry out to the world,

That I 

Will make it somehow

So far the song seemed to be going well, and you couldn't differentiate between Kagome's voice and the one on the actual recording…big surprise there…not really.  And Kagura amazingly was holding her own as well.

You can't change what I am,

You can't change what I do,

And most of all

You Can't Change Me.

You can't

Try to hold me back,

You can't

Stop this from happening

So just accept it _  just accept it_

**_This_** **_is _**what we're coming to    

Be** prepared,**

**For what we're going to do**

**_You can't change what I am,_**

**_You can't change what I do,_**

And most of all

**_You Can't Change Me_.**

So I      _so I_

Will stand alone if I need to,

And I   _and I_

Am going to **_be somebody_**

****

So just you keep in mind:

You Can't. Change. Me. 

Kagome and Kagura bowed slightly and stepped off the stage while the entire room filled with cheers.

The raven-haired leader of Sengotsu looked to the door where both Kouga and Houjo were still standing and was slightly surprised to see them, but overcame it quickly.  She pointed a finger to them in an imitation of a gun and mouthed, "You can't change me."

*

Inuyasha grumbled as he was dragged to yet another store packed with accessories only a woman would enjoy.  "Miroku, I don't trust any advice you give on women…I mean, look at your love life…it's as pathetic as mine!"

"Dude, just because I'm a womanizer doesn't mean I don't know the real way to a woman's heart.  As I've said before: do as I say, not as I do."  Miroku picked up a small glass bottle of perfume and sprayed a light bit of it, inhaling deeply.  "I think any woman would love this one."

Inuyasha was plugging his nose in disgust as the smell reached his sensitive nose.  "No way, I don't want her smelling like that."

"Whatever, your loss."  They moved on down the isle until they reached the makeups, where Miroku once again tried convincing Inuyasha that it would do well with his 'special girl.'

As they headed back to the hotel with empty hands, Inuyasha spotted a store that had the perfect gift on display in the window.  He immediately crossed the street and walked in to the specialty shop.  Miroku followed Inuyasha with his eyes until he read the name of the shop, and then realization dawned on him.  This was the one thing women loved that he didn't take Inuyasha to.  Oh well, looked like he found it on his own.

He quickly followed him in and was shocked to see that Inuyasha had already purchased an item and was already heading out again with a small brown bag in hand.

"What's in the bag, my friend?"  Miroku turned around and had to jog a little to catch up with the speed demon.

"A little something I picked up.  What's it to you?  We can't spend two hours shopping with out coming back with something to show for it, can we?"  Inuyasha only glanced back at Miroku before hopping on the passing trolley to hitch a ride back to the hotel.

With a little fancy footwork and a hard leap, Miroku joined Inuyasha on the moving trolley as they headed back the way they had come quite a while ago.

When they got back to the hotel, no one else from their newly formed posse were around, so they split up and went to their separate rooms, hoping to get some shut eye after their exhausting day in the city.

*

"Kouga, stop following us already."  Ayame looked back at Kouga for the fifth time in the last few minutes just to give him a good glare.

"No way, I'm protecting my woman."  Kouga glared back stubbornly hoping that Ayame would give up the fight.

She apparently wasn't as weak as he had hoped.  "Your woman my foot.  No one here wants anything to do with a snob like you."

"You're the snob.  And you're ugly.  At least I don't have that against me."

Ayame puffed up her cheeks, now walking backward in between Kouga and the rest of the girls.  "I wouldn't be too sure about that…all that makeup you wear makes you look gay."

"I do not wear makeup!"  Kouga's eyes seemed to flare up and Kagome, Sango, and Ami all started to giggle, but didn't look back at the bickering pair.

Ayame cocked her head to the side, happy that she had gained the upper hand.  "Really?  So that's all natural?  Wow, and I thought Micheal Jackson was ugly."  

Kouga looked like he was about to explode with anger, but tried counting to ten instead.  He got to about three before he lunged at Ayame.  And he got about halfway through his first step before Haraikotsu hit him in the head.  

The ookami youkai looked back at her taijiya friend with a disgruntled face.  "I could have handled him on my own, you know."

"I know, we just wouldn't want to ruin Kouga's reputation by letting him follow through with that attack."  Sango smiled lightly at Ayame as she caught her boomerang again.

"Sango-chan is right…it's bad enough that he runs around trying to kill off the male population, but female as well?"  Kagome smiled at Ayame, who just shrugged and glanced back at the unconscious wolf demon lying on the sidewalk.

"Hey, ya guys, should we take him back to the hotel?"  Ayame looked at the group as a moment of silence befell them.

Then all answered in unison.  "Iie."

With that, they continued the trek to the hotel without a care in the world.

Separating to go to their separate rooms, Kagome sprawled out on her bed, exhaustion possessing her every muscle.  It had been a long day, and she could do with a good sleep.  But first, a nice hot shower was just what she needed.

So, getting up, Kagome went into the bathroom, taking her shower and brushing her teeth.  She exited the bathroom half an hour later in a complimentary bathrobe and once again fell to the soft mattress of her hotel bed.

Sleep quickly found her, but she was awoken by a strange noise that came from the back of her room, where the balcony was.  She was about to shrug it off until she heard the soft breathing of a stranger as they approached her.  Kagome feigned sleep and waited for what the person was going to do, but it nearly made her jump out of her skin when the stranger made his move.

Something cold touched her neck, and Kagome realized that whatever it was, it was heavy.  Two hands wrapped around her neck and fiddled with something beneath her hair.  Before the hands were withdrawn, the breath drew closer until the stranger's lips were lightly pressed against her own.  Her eyes shot open and she saw the gleam of silver from the man's hair: a stranger no longer.

'Inuyasha!  That jerk!  The jerk is kissing me!'

~

**Inutori:** I felt it was my right to leave it off there, since I'm sick right now.

**Inuyasha:** *in high-pitched voice* I'm sick, I'm tired, I'm lazy, I'm a big, fat, wench, I work at a whor-

**Inutori:** Enough of that, Inuyasha!  I've heard enough out of your mouth.  I'll have you know that I'm down five pounds from my normal weight and my waist is less than 30 inches around!

**Inuyasha:** Yeah, but that's still over two feet, fatso.

**Inutori:** Talk to the hand, cuz' the face don't want to hear it.  I'm still in a good mood from one of my guy friends calling and asking if I was OK.  At least someone has missed me this last week and a half while I've been sick.  I haven't even been outside the house since last Thursday (haven't been outside at all).  I mean, come on, that's just sad.

**Kagome:** So while I'm "sick" but really in feudal Japan, Inutori is actually sick in bed, have sympathy for her.

**Inutori:** Yeah, have sympathy for me and leave a review!  ::cough, cough, sniffle:: But you don't have to…I don't review every story I read…just keep in mind that a review would be appreciated, nonetheless.


	7. Tuesday, June 29, Kagome's Birthday

**Inutori:** I'm trying to type these chapters as fast as I can and post them.  When I'm done with Enchanted I plan on moving on to The Beat of the Drum.

**Inuyasha:** Yeah, but when will that be, lazy butt?

**Inutori:** When you stop insulting me.

**Kagome:** Like that'll ever happen.

**Inutori:** It would if I owned Inuyasha, but since I don't, Inuyasha will just have to try extra hard to be nice to me if he wants me to stop abusing him in my stories.

**Inuyasha:**…

Chapter 7

Second Chance

**Last time:**

Something cold touched her neck, and Kagome realized that whatever it was, it was heavy.  Two hands wrapped around her neck and fiddled with something beneath her hair.  Before the hands were withdrawn, the breath drew closer until the stranger's lips were lightly pressed against her own.  Her eyes shot open and she saw the gleam of silver from the man's hair: a stranger no longer.

'Inuyasha!  That jerk!  The jerk is kissing me!'

**And now on with the story…**

Kagome's eyes were wide as Inuyasha pulled away from her slowly and opened his eyelids slowly.  That was, until he saw Kagome looking at him, then he quickly dashed out of the room in the blink of an eye.

After Inuyasha left, Kagome began to wonder if that really happened, or if she had just imagined it.  But then she became aware once again of the weight on her neck and chest.

Bringing up a hand, Kagome fingered the object gently, realizing that it was some sort of necklace.  Curiosity overcame her and Kagome got out of bed and went to the bathroom where there was a mirror.

It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the light, but when she could see, her breath was taken away.

Hanging from her neck was an intricate necklace with a diamond at the center in the basic shape of a heart, lined with small sapphires and emeralds.  The band of the necklace was thick and had designs of dragons engraved in it with small diamonds making it sparkle.  Truly it was beautiful.

But then Kagome remembered whom it was from and frowned.  She didn't know Inuyasha's intentions, and he was a jerk.  So, quickly but gently, Kagome unclasped the necklace and discarded it in hopes of returning it tomorrow. 

Kagome went back to bed with a sigh.  To bad she couldn't get something like that from someone who wasn't an idiot like Inuyasha.  For all she knew, this could be something Inuyasha did as a joke with his twisted sense of humor: probably trying to get Kagome thinking that he had the hots for her than throw it back in her face without warning.

*

Miroku yawned and sat up lazily in his bed, but when he opened his eyes, he felt ten years of his life jump out the window.  There, standing at the foot of his bed, glaring at him was his manager, Sesshoumaru.

"Get up, filth.  We have work to do."  With that he swept out of the room and left Miroku hyperventilating.  

"Inuyasha's brother…is going to be…the death…of me…"

Miroku stood up and yawned, stretching his stiff muscles.  It was going to be a long day, what with the afternoon concert they were going to do in the park, and the recording, and practicing…as well as figuring out what they could do for new songs…definitely a busy day.

After showering and changing, Miroku headed downstairs to find Ami and Kagome arguing. 

"You should keep it, who cares if the guy that gave it to you is scum?"  Ami was up in Kagome's face as the two stood in the lobby.

"I care!"

"Dude, something like that, it doesn't matter what 'his intentions are' or 'who the guy is,' it's an expensive item, and I'd completely keep it.  Ignore the dude that gave it to you.  Consider it a pricey birthday gift!"  Ami seemed quite upset over something, since her eyes were flaring.

"I'll do what I want, Ami!"

"No, Kagome, I don't care if you're older than me.  But you listen, if you want to get rid of it that badly, then give it to someone else.  What is a guy going to do with jewelry anyway?"  Ami was holding Kagome's arm and glaring at the raven-haired girl coldly.

"B-but-"

"I'm serious, Kagome."

"Ami~chan."  Kagome sounded like she was complaining to her friend, having obviously lost the argument.

Ami just cocked her head to the side and smiled innocently. 

"What are you lovely ladies getting so worked up over?"  Miroku walked up to the two casually, smiling at Sango's glare from across the lobby.

Kagome turned slightly pink and looked to the floor.  "A-a guy gave me a n-necklace…and I…I want to give it back."

Miroku cocked his head to the side, remembering the last store he and Inuyasha had stopped at: Kaede's Finest Jewelry.  It was a specialty shop that carried the bodily ornaments made by the world famous jeweler Kaede.  Each item was unique and extremely pricey; yet also exquisite.  "May I see the necklace?"

Kagome nodded and opened a cloth in her hand, revealing a most intricate necklace that would probably not have a single other like it in the world.  "I love it…I really do, but I just can't accept this from the guy…he's a creep."

Miroku nodded back to Kagome, deep in thought.  "Well, I'd have to agree with Ami on this one.  You should keep it.  Perhaps there is more to this gift than you think.  After all, something like this would cost a small fortune."

The now 18 year-old Kagome pulled the necklace back to her and folded the cloth back over it.  "I know," were the words that she whispered as she carefully put the package in her purse and zipped it closed.

Kouga came out of the elevator in a huff.  "Dude, can we get a new manager?  Sesshoumaru's too strict.  I said to him: 'Yeah, dude, can you let me sleep in for once?' and he nearly sliced me in half with his claws.  Dude, what is his problem?"  

Everyone was silently staring at him.

"Yeah, and he said that I had to pay for the bed that he broke.  Dude, come on…HE broke it, not me!"

"Kouga-kun, is there a point to your ranting?"  Kagome seemed to be skeptically eyeing the wolf youkai as he shook Miroku.

"Umo…no?"  Kouga smiled stupidly at Kagome and released Miroku from his death grip and allowed the bass player to crumple to the floor.  Suddenly, Kouga sniffed the air, seemingly smelling something he didn't like, and dashed up to Kagome.

His nose got awfully close to Kagome's mouth before Kouga was yanked away from her.

"What do you think you're doing, wimpy-wolf?"  Kagome's eyes met with none other than the silver-haired hanyou's as her blush deepened.

"Why is your smell all over MY woman?"  Kouga seemed to be growling at Inuyasha as they sized each other up.

"Yeah, Kagome, why _is _Inuyasha's scent on you?"  Ayame came up behind Kagome with the smile of a Cheshire cat, even though she was a wolf.

"I was wondering about that myself."  Ami popped up on the other side of Kagome, smiling innocently at the blue-eyed girl beside her.

The thought running through Kagome's mind at that moment was 'I hate demon's sense of smell.'  

Neither Kagome nor Inuyasha answered that question, and a long silence overcame the lobby.  The only background noise was the employee at the front desk and a toddler running around screaming at the top of its lungs.

Inuyasha's eyes wandered to Kagome's bare neck and she noticed the pained look that crossed his face.  She felt kind of bad all of a sudden, and wanted so much to pull out the necklace and put it on for Inuyasha's sake, but she refrained.

Then Sesshoumaru showed up with Kagura, breaking the trance.  Who knows why they were together in the first place.  

"Half-breed, wolf, human, get your butts in the car out front this instant."  Sesshoumaru bit out his words as he glared at each of the members of Enchanted.

Ami's attention veered away from Kagome for the meantime as she piped in.  "Can we come watch?"

Sesshoumaru gave Ami a once over, and if looks could kill, she'd have been dead a hundred times over.

"No one's stopping you, kit."  Sesshoumaru turned and seemed to glide through the lobby and out the front doors.  Enchanted followed reluctantly, and trailing behind them were Sango, Ayame, and Ami, all chatting happily.  

Kagome looked to Kagura, "You coming or staying?"  The two stood there in silence for a moment before Kagura too followed the entourage out to the cars.

She looked back over her shoulder to Kagome with an uncaring look.  "It's not like there's anything else to do around here."

Kagome shrugged, and with a smile, jogged to catch up with Kagura.  "Yeah, you're right."

*

Somehow Inuyasha ended up in the back seat of one of the cars with Kagome, the only other occupant being the driver, whom was a hired native.  They were almost to the park where everyone was gathering for Enchanted's performance.

"Inuyasha?"  Kagome was looking out the window, with one hand in her purse.  The hand slowly came out and there was a cloth package in her hand.  "I…I can't…I can't accept this."  Kagome handed Inuyasha the package just as the car pulled to a stop, and so Kagome quickly unbuckled and jumped out of the car before the ignition had even been turned off.

Inuyasha sat there for a moment before unfolding the cloth and finding the necklace he had purchased just yesterday for Kagome.  A surge of anger pulsed through his body and he stuffed the gift into his coat pocket.

He stepped out of the car in a fowl mood and headed to the makeshift dressing rooms where he was going to get ready for the concert.

After getting changed and having his hair done, Inuyasha picked up his guitar and stormed onto the stage followed by Kouga and Miroku.

"What's gotten into him?"

"How should I know?  He seemed fine at the rehearsal this morning."

"Hopefully this won't affect his performance."

"It's probably just girl troubles."

Inuyasha jerked around and pointedly glared at the two other members of Enchanted, showing them that he was listening.  He then stepped to the front of the stage and did his usual greeting before introducing the first song.

During each song, Inuyasha was able to temporarily brush aside the thoughts swimming around in his head, but as the afternoon was coming to a close, and thus the Enchanted part of the concert, Kagome was dominating his head.

"For the last song, we'd like to play for you all a song I dedicate to the girl who wouldn't accept a gift from a man she despised.  For her, Enchanted presents: Second Chance."

Inuyasha nodded to Kouga and Miroku, and Kouga tapped his drumsticks together.  They all came in together playing an interesting tune that seemed to be asking for something.  All this time, Inuyasha had his head down, concentrating on his instrument, but when it came time for the lyrics, he looked up and to the back of the park where Sengotsu was seated, watching the other band.

_You opened my eyes with your heart_

_Allowed me to get a better start_

_But why won't you accept me now?_

_Am I still not good enough?_

Inuyasha's features scrunched together as he made eye contact with Kagome.  Even from that distance, those deep blue eyes were enchanting.

_Stop right there, girl_

_You've shot me in the heart_

_Just when things were looking up_

You decided to push me back down 

Then the thought ran through his head, just why did she give the necklace back?  He'd gone to so much effort to find her the perfect gift, and yet she still said no.

_You're saying that it's my fault_

_So maybe it is,_

_But I can't change the past_

_Just give me a second chance_

_Don't just walk away now_

_You've made me find myself_

_So you can't just leave_

Without warning like that 

He couldn't tell what Kagome was thinking by her expression.  It was completely neutral as they kept eye contact.

Stop right there, girl 

_Don't walk away from me now_

_Am I still not good enough?_

_Give me a second chance_

_Whatever have I done wrong_

_To make you act this way?_

_Forgive me, girl_

_Just give me a second chance_

They ended the song, but Inuyasha didn't seem ready for it to be over, so with out any other accompaniment besides his guitar he sang:

Please give me a second chance 

Cries rang up through the crowd as Enchanted exited the stage and went back to their dressing room.  Inuyasha sighed and sat down on a folding chair, leaning back and covering his face with one arm.

Soon Sengotsu came in, analyzing the boys' performance.  Apparently they did OK, but Inuyasha not moving around during the last song was rather dull.  Kagome wasn't chatting with them, but remained detached, looking Inuyasha's way.

After a few minutes Kagome went back outside, and Inuyasha quickly followed.  

Kagome was standing in the park's gardens when Inuyasha found her, the sun was setting in the west, and there was a small river flowing towards the sea nearby with a bridge going over it.

She wasn't facing Inuyasha, and was looking up at the sky.  There were a few scattered clouds that were tinted red from the setting sun, but otherwise the sky was clear.

The hanyou was able to come up and stand just behind Kagome without her noticing his presence.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small package.  Unfolding it, Inuyasha picked out the necklace and put the cloth back in his jacket.

Gently taking the ends, Inuyasha reached up and brought the necklace over Kagome's head.  She seemed to jump a little, but didn't move otherwise as Inuyasha clasped the necklace back on her neck and dropped his hands to hang at his sides.

He leaned forward until his mouth was right next to Kagome's ear.  "Kagome, onegai…give me a second chance."

Kagome leaned back slightly until her weight was pressed against Inuyasha's chest.  Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist and noticed that her arms were crossed in front of her.   "Gomen ne, Inuyasha."  Kagome whispered gently, and Inuyasha wasn't quite sure what she was apologizing for.  Was she going to say that he wouldn't get a second chance?

"What do you mean?"

"I was being stupid.  Gomen."  Kagome leaned her head back more firmly on Inuyasha and the hanyou was beginning to rather enjoy the contact.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes as they watched the stars come out.  The only sounds were that of the flowing water and their slow breaths of wonder.  

*

"So, houshi-sama, when is our flight?"  Sango looked over at Miroku from her chair in the airport, her body completely relaxed with her boomerang within arm's reach.

The monk asked the question glanced down at his watch.  "Let's see here, oh, we have another half hour."  Miroku smiled at Sango innocently, the bump on his head glowing red.

"When is our flight?"  Sango glared at Miroku suspiciously.

"Um…7:20?"

"So you're saying that you're not sure?"

Miroku hesitated slightly, his smile faltering briefly.  "Let me check."  He opened up his carryon bag and pulled out the tickets, looking at the time.  "It says here that the flight is at 7:20."

"Let me see that."  Sango glared at Miroku as the bass player handed her the tickets.  "It says flight 720, you dolt.  The flight takes off at 6:55 from Gate C23."  The taijiya looked at her watch.  "It's 6:49!  If we miss our flight, I'm so going to kill you."  She said this with all seriousness as she stood up and looked around the airport frantically.

"Sango-sama, seeing as how we're in the F terminal, it'd be best if we ran if we want to catch our flight."  Miroku looked back at Sango from where he was already legging it towards the C terminal.

Sango stood for only a brief second before picking up her boomerang and following Miroku's example.   "You're dead, houshi-sama!"

The two ran for several minutes, arriving in the C terminal just in time to watch the plane they were supposed to be on take off down the runway.

"This is your fault, houshi-sama.  If you hadn't decided to leave the group we wouldn't be here right now!"  Sango turned angrily to Miroku, Hairakotsu raised.

"But you needn't have followed me, dearest Sango-sama, I didn't request your company."  Miroku waved his arms in front of him frantically, not wanting to get impaled by her boomerang again.

"Yeah, that may be so, but I was trying to protect all the innocent teenage girls in this airport from your lecherous ways."  Sango's expression was getting darker by the second and Miroku turned on his heel and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.  "GET BACK HERE, FURYOU HOUSHI!!!"

~

**Inutori:** Hope this was long enough for now.  I don't know who to feel sorry for, Miroku or Sango.

**Miroku:** Me!  I'm being chased by a lunatic!

**Sango:** What was that? *holds up Hairakotsu*

**Miroku:** N-nothing, S-Sango-sama.

**Sango:** Good.

**Inutori:** Then again, Miroku also cost Sango her flight out of Australia…

**Sango:** That's right!  Houshi-sama, get over here!

**Miroku:** *cowering in corner* I'll pass, Sango-sama.

**Inutori:** Ahem, well, enough of that, *looks to readers*  I need ideas for what should happen to peoples in this story.  The couples are as follows: Inu/Kag (duh!) Mir/San, Kouga/Ayame, Fluffy/Kagura, Shippou/Ami.  I already have the basic plot in mind, and Shippou isn't going to be introduced for a long while yet, but I need things to happen, and I need details of places for them to go around the world.  (I'm not exactly an international traveler)  So could anyone help me, onegai?


	8. Wednesday, June 30

**Inutori:** I'd like to introduce all of the readers to my alternate personality, Jellyfish.

**Gem:**  My name is not Jellyfish, which is merely a bland nickname given to me by Drano, it is Gemini.

**Dray:** *Growling* Now look who's name calling, Jellyfish. 

**Gem:** Libra helped me come up with it.  0_- 

**Sagi:** Hel~lo.  Inutori, are you going to introduce us properly or what?

**Inutori:** Ah, yes.  Everyone, this is my alternate personality *pointing to Gem* Gem Inilene Tai, aka Gemini.  The freak next to her is Dray Colene Tai, my identical twin, aka Draco.

**Sagi:** You forgot about me!

**Inuyasha:** Who cares about you, wench?

**Sagi:** !

**Gem:** You know: he's got a point.  Who does care about you, SAGGY?

**Sagi:** The name is Sagi, not Saggy.  Say it with me now:  Say-Gee.  And Virgo cares about me, so there!

**Gem:** Oh really?

**Sagi:** Yes!

**Inutori:** You guys!  You're straying from the point of this author's note!

**Sagi:** What is the point of it?  I thought it was just to waste space.

**Gem:** Well, you do that already, Saggy, you got us all beat.

**Sagi:** Do not, I only weigh 70 pounds.

**Inutori:** Not even.

**Sagi:** …

**Gem:** I suppose I should introduce this brainless idiot since no one else will.  This… *picks Sagi up by hair* (Sagi is a foot and a half shorter than Gem) …thing…is known as Sagita Tarius, aka Sagittarius. 

**Sagi:** None of us own Inuyasha, so go ahead and go read the long author's note…wait you already read it…go read the chapter.

**Gem:** Baka *rolls eyes*

**Inutori:** Sorry if this was confusing.  I just needed a change.

Chapter 8

Lost

**Last Time:**

"This is your fault, houshi-sama.  If you hadn't decided to leave the group we wouldn't be here right now!"  Sango turned angrily to Miroku, Hairakotsu raised.

"But you needn't have followed me, dearest Sango-sama, I didn't request your company."  Miroku waved his arms in front of him frantically, not wanting to get impaled by her boomerang again.

"Yeah, that may be so, but I was trying to protect all the innocent teenage girls in this airport from your lecherous ways."  Sango's expression was getting darker by the second and Miroku turned on his heel and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.  "GET BACK HERE, FURYOU HOUSHI!!!"

**And now on with the story…**

Miroku forced a laugh as the wounds on his head recovered.  Sango was currently having a chat with one of the airline agents, trying to sort out the situation.  Several people were passing by, giving him strange looks, and as the minutes flew out of sight, the monk found himself devising a way to steal Hiraikotsu.

"Well, Houshi-sama, I may forgive you this time.  I managed to get us first class tickets out of here."  Sango approached him with a smile.  It was a nice change from the glare she had been giving him an hour ago when they had missed their flight.

"How?"  Miroku looked up at Sango curiously, holding an icepack to his head gently.

Sango just gave him a deadpan look saying 'don't ask.'  She turned away from him and began weaving through the other travelers, heading to Terminals B-E

"Sango-sama, how did you get us in first class?"  Miroku jogged to catch up to her and looked at her profile with growing interest.

"It was no big."  Sango sped up, obviously trying to avoid answering the question; which only made Miroku the more curious.

"No really, how?" 

"Well, I kinda…said that we were…"  Sango's voice dropped to a whisper and Miroku had to strain to hear her.  "On our honeymoon."

Miroku smiled lecherously at this.  "Why Sango-sama, I never realized you felt that way!  If you had just said so earlier-"

Sango punched him none-too-gently as his hand reached too far south on her back.  "They're just words Houshi-sama.  There is no hidden meaning behind them."

Miroku pouted for a minute, not moving from his position on the ground.

The girl accompanying him growled and stepped on him in the middle of his chest as she continued on her way through the airport.  She only glanced back at him uncaringly once before going into a café to get something to eat for breakfast.

"Welcome to Buffet Down Under, I'm Stella, how many in your party?"  A brunette with blue eyes smiled at Sango warmly.

"One."  Sango let a smile cross her face as the woman pulled out a menu and was about to guide her to a table.

"Two, actually."  

Both girls turned to look at Miroku, who had just run to catch up with Sango.  The taijiya looked at the waitress seriously and said, "I don't know him."

"But Sango~sama!"  Sango ignored Miroku's whining voice as she urged the waitress to continue taking her to her seat.

"Please have a seat.  Your waitress will be out in a moment."

Sango glared as Miroku pulled up a chair and joined her at the table, having already disowned any relation she might have to the pervert.

Another brunette stumbled their way in the uniform of the restaurant.  Her disgruntled expression told them that she was not having a good day.

"Welcome to Down Under, I'm Stephanie, and I'll be serving you.  If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."  Her hazel eyes weren't focused on the pair, but instead were unblinkingly looking at the wall behind them.

Miroku immediately took the opportunity to grab Stephanie's hands and look her straight in the eye.  "Dearest Stephanie, will you bear my child?"

Sango's eye twitched and a vein popped in her forehead, her patience with the monk completely drained.  It seemed she wasn't the only one irked by the monk, for he soon found coffee being poured on his head by the waitress, and the onlookers were mumbling things like 'he deserved it' or 'violence doesn't solve anything.'

"Stephanie!  Not again!  What have I said in the past about this kind of behavior?"  A man from the kitchens came out scolding the waitress, but the look on the young woman's face signified that she really didn't care.

She looked at the pair seated in front of her, one of which was soaked in coffee.  Her eyes rolled in a bored fashion as she pulled out her notepad.  "Can I start you off with any drinks?"

"Uh, yeah."  Sango was still getting over the shock of watching the brown liquid pour over the head of the male bass player.  "I'll have a large OJ." 

"And I'll have some of this coffee, it's actually quite good."  Miroku smiled sweetly at the waitress as her focus landed on him for a few moments in utter surprise/amazement.

The man that had spoken moments before threw his arms up in the air in frustration and headed back to the kitchen, obviously aware that he was being ignored.  "Fine, Steph, get yourself fired for all I care."

"The name's not Steph, it's Stephanie.  Ste-pha-nie."  The girl growled in the back of her throat, and Sango could have sworn that the girl was related to Inuyasha.  She looked back to the band members and smiled brightly.  With that her face seemed to light up like her skin was glowing, and yet it didn't look unnatural.  "Sorry about that!  I'll have your drinks right out and then, if you're ready, I'll take your orders!"

With that she left to enter the kitchens.

A few feet away, a group of men wearing black overcoats sat down at a vacant table and demanded to be served.  The waitress who responded to their call was fairly small and delicate with rust colored hair. 

Lecherous grins crossed their faces similar to Miroku's everyday smile, and Sango tensed, wondering if she would need to step in if the men did anything…questionable.

Her ears perked up slightly as she listened to the exchange.

"Welcome to Down Under, my name is Lauren, and I'll be your server.  There are many breakfast specials this morning listed in the menu, I could recommend-" The girl seemed pretty self confident until she was cut off by one of the men.

"Well, Lauri-babe, why don't you ditch this place and come for a ride around town with me and the guys."

"I'd rather not, I have a commitment here."

"One of the boys could change that.  Or would you rather we force you to come?"

She hesitated and backed up slightly.  Sango was flexing her muscles, preparing to jump up and fend off these boys for the poor girl.  

One of the men stood up and came at Lauren, but she stomped her heel on the floor three times.  The guy paused, and Sango stared at the redhead's foot.  What was the purpose of stomping the floor like that?

Stephanie returned with the two musician's drinks and moved to where her co-worker was standing after setting the drinks on Sango's table, walking confidently.  It perked Sango's interest to see what would happen, but she was on her toes, ready to intercede if necessary.

"Is there a problem, sir?"  Her voice was firm and seemed to have an undertone of authority in it.

"Yeah, there is.  That-"  When Lauren whined slightly, Stephanie interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, but I think name calling is immature, so please refrain from degrading other people while stating your complaint."  Her posture was strong, and Sango could tell that even though her arms and legs were fairly thick for a girl, that it was not fat that covered those bones.  This brunette was more than just bark; she looked like she could bite pretty well.

The man glared at her slightly, but continued.  "The waitress didn't want ta take our order."

"And was that an order of command to do something, or an order of food?"

He was silent as his look darkened and he waved for his gang to stand up.  Apparently, they had no qualms with fighting with girls.

Sango stood up a second after the men, grabbing Hiraikotsu from its resting spot beside the table.

Stephanie's body seemed to rise slightly and she beckoned for Lauren to leave, obviously rising to the men's unspoken challenge.  The taijiya joined the waitress preparing to fight, eyeing each of their opponents.

"What are you doing?"  Sango heard the other girl's hiss clearly, and was about to respond when Stephanie continued.  "That's better for long-range combat, not hand-to-hand like this, you know."

"Hai, I know.  But it serves as a good shield and battering object."

The brunette nodded her head to the side, contemplating Sango's comment.  "I guess so."

*

Sango stretched on the airport bench next to Miroku, having expended all her energies on the fight in the Down Under café.  It had turned out to be like fighting punching bags; all the guys did was move around slowly and let themselves get hit.  So all in all, the brawl had ended up being quite the bore.

Stephanie had ended up being a halfway decent fighter, but looked like she'd do better, much better, on a dance floor.  Her moves looked like some alternative form of ballet and jazz and it almost gave one the impression that she was fighting blind.  But her strength had made up for it, and she could take a hit without hesitation.

The other waitress, Lauren, had apparently gained her own confidence halfway through the miniature match and jumped on the leader's back to pull on his ears and hair as he fought with Sango.  That had truly been an amusing sight to see.

As Miroku stared unblinkingly at Sango, she yawned and stood up, grabbing her boomerang in the motion.  It had been an eventful day at the airport, but soon they needed to catch their alternate flight.

"Come on, Houshi-sama, don't need you making me miss ANOTHER flight."  Sango half-heartedly glared back at Miroku and continued through the terminal to the proper gate.

Kagome and the rest of Sengotsu were probably worried to death about her right about now, and she wouldn't be surprised if one of them called the Sydney Airport to make sure she was alright. 

She started to hum, thinking about the lyrics another of her group's many songs.

I'm lost in this world of darkness 

_Can't seem to find my way_

_I'd ask you for your help_

_But I'm not sure if you'd be hear_

_So lost_

_Walking in circles_

_So lost _

_Aimlessly wanderin'_

_Stopped for directions too many times_

_Lost count long ago_

_No one seems to be able to help_

_Maybe one day I'll find my way out_

Sango glanced back at Miroku following a few feet behind her like an obedient puppy and shook her head.  Kagome had originally written 'Lost' her sophomore year when she was having some major health problems and going through depression.  Never before had Sango realized she'd be able to relate to the lyrics literally.

Can't seem to sort out the confusion 

_Nothing seems to be working out_

_If I could just jump ahead in time_

_To where I'm out of this mess_

_So lost_

_Walking in circles_

_So lost_

_Aimlessly wanderin'_

"What are you humming, Sango-sama?"  Miroku trotted up to walk beside her as they walked through the large building.

Fallin' into a deep abyss 

_Hope I'll get lucky and unearth a way out_

_But doesn't look like I'll be getting any help_

_You're just holding me back_

_The darkness enfolds me_

_Leaving a cold feeling of loneliness_

_That may never be filled till with friends_

_Why did I have to be lost alone? _

_So lost_

_Walking in circles_

_So lost_

_Aimlessly wanderin'_

_I'm so lost_

_Chasing my tail_

_Just so lost_

_Running an endless race_

_Running an endless race…_

_Chasing my tail…_

_Running…an…end~less race…_

Sango shook her head at Miroku, pointedly not answering him.  He had already given her enough of a headache in the day they were forced to spend together.  She was tired of babysitting and could do with a decent nap.

They eventually arrived at their gate and prepared to board the plane with the other first-class passengers.

~

**Gem:** If you want to know the truth, Inutori just whipped out "Lost" as she was writing the chapter.  Normally her songs are prewritten.

**Inuyasha:** That was shorter than most of them.  The story, I mean.

**Sagi:**  About that…Inutori has a question.  Someone posed the question/suggestion that she should make the chapters longer.  Inutori has already mentioned that she is making these chapters twice as long as the normal for her other stories.  Is that not good enough or something?

**Gem:** Readers, they're never satisfied until the story is finished…and then they want a sequel.  So demanding.  

**Sagi:** Totally

**Gem:** Oh, and Sagi, you left a review saying that Aquarius was my guy.  I'm appalled.  My guy is his identical twin Scorpio.  Aquarius is Drano's boy.

**Inutori:** *hits Gemini* That had nothing to do with Enchanted!

**Gem:** So what?! It was bothering me!

**Inutori:** For those of you who don't know, Sagi is a friend of mine…(which I'm sure I've said before) and she reads and reviews my stories, as well as co-rights an original story with me.  So now, it's all of your turns' to go review this horrendous fanfic!

**Sagi:** Stop insulting yourself, it's bad for your karma!

**Gem:** Inutori, Saggy's spouting nonsense again!

**Inutori:** WILL YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP ALREADY?!?

**Sagi & Gem:** …shutting up now…


	9. Wednesday, June 30

**Gem:** Get off of me!

**Sagi:** I can't, there's a fat guy sitting on me!

**Gem:** If there is a fat guy on you, then I own Inuyasha, now get off!

**Sagi:** *looks at Gem in bewilderment*  I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!

**Gem:** Stop being stupid Saggy, we have a story to introduce.

**Sagi:** I'm not being stupid, Jellyfish, you are!

**Gem:** Don't you wish.

**Sagi:** VIRGO!!! *tears in eyes* Gem's being mean to me again!

**Virgo:** And what do you expect me to do about it?  She has me tied to a chair over here.

**Sagi:** WHAT?  Jellyfish!  I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!

**Gem:** Well, readers, see you at the end of the chapter.  In the mean time, please excuse my absence as I dodge Saggy's pathetic attempts to harm me.

Chapter 9

My Own Master

Kouga released Kagome's mouth slowly, praying that she wouldn't start screaming again.  He and Inuyasha both had headaches from her annoying cries.  She had been going off like an Energizer bunny since she realized that they had left the airport without Sango.  It appeared that she didn't even notice that Sengotsu wasn't the only band missing a member.

The raven-haired Japanese girl glared coldly at the wolf youkai, none-too-pleased with how she was being treated.  "Kouga-kun, you are so going to regret that."

Kagome stood up, glaring at Kouga, the airplane's engine having just shut off.

"Kagome-chan!  Calm down, I'm sure Sango-chan will be perfectly able to take care of herself!"  Ayame flung herself between Kagome and Kouga.  

Inuyasha blinked quickly.  He could have sworn that Kagome's hands had been glowing pink, but that could have just been his imagination.  Brushing it off, he returned his attention to the worried look on Ayame's face.  "Oi, wolf, what's your problem?"

Ayame didn't even give him a glance as she continued looking intently at the leader of Sengotsu.  "Sango'll be fine.  I'm sure we'll be getting a call from her any minute now, telling us when her flight will be arriving."  

The hanyou saw beads of sweat forming on Ayame's forehead.  What was the matter?

Ami stepped up to stand next to Kagome silently, holding a small bottle under the other girl's nose.  

Only a second or two later, Kagome's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell back into Ami's awaiting arms.

Ayame relaxed and let out a long sigh.  "They're becoming more frequent, Ami.  How long are we going to be able to keep this up?"

Kouga and Inuyasha were both confused as they looked at the three girls now on the floor of the airplane: one unconscious and the other two hovering over her worriedly.

Kagura stepped out of the shadows and into the light.  "The excitement of the tour is probably getting to her.  She never should have come."

Ayame looked up to meet gazes with Kagura.  "She'll be fine."

"Heh."  Kagura scoffed and turned around, facing away from everyone.  "Don't kid yourself.  You know what that woman said as well as I do."

Ami glared at Kagura's back.  "Well at least some of us are trying to have a positive attitude about this."

"What are you wenches yapping about now?"  Inuyasha gritted his teeth angrily, not liking being left out of the loop.

Ayame and Ami looked at him hesitantly, not answering the question.

It was a moment before anyone spoke.  "Perhaps it would be best for you to ask Kagome.  You should hear it from her."  With those words, Kagura was once again the first one to leave the jet.

The sound of pouring rain entered the ears of all conscious, and Ami let out a sigh.  "And I thought the teachers were exaggerating when they said it rained over 200 inches a year in India."  

Kouga looked back at Ami with an expression that clearly said, "Please don't give us a geography lesson."

"Sorry, my brain stores too much info, so sue me."  Ami glared half-heartedly back at him as she hoisted herself up, holding a limp Kagome in her arms.  

"Maybe I will."  The wolf youkai quickly relieved her of her burden, and she smiled at him gratefully.  Kouga managed a sheepish grin in return.

Inuyasha found himself lightly growling at his drummer, and subtly tried to remove Kagome from the other demon's arms.  Apparently Kouga was too caught up with being embarrassed by Ami that he didn't even notice when the extra weight was lifted from his arms.

Ayame poked her head back inside the plane, pulling on a raincoat quickly.  "You guys coming, or what?"

*

They arrived at the hotel quickly enough: if you count human-drawn carriages as being quick.  Inuyasha had nudged Kouga along the way, pointing out the smug expression on their manager's face as the human pulled him along.  Obviously the demon found the human doing such menial labor amusing.

The hotel rooms were small, and as Inuyasha laid Kagome down on her bed, he found himself breathing in all sorts of strange scents.  Most were coming from outside, where there was a whole different world from what he was used to.  There were open markets, and the smell of gasoline wasn't dominantly present in the area, surprisingly.  

Not only did this place smell, but the sounds were overwhelming as well.  There were so many people in the area making so many different noises, that Inuyasha didn't know if he'd be able to keep his head on straight.

"Mmm…where am I?"

Inuyasha turned to look at Kagome, who had apparently just woken up.  She was slowly sitting up on the bed, rubbing her head tiredly with one hand.  "In a bed.  What does it look like, wench?"

"I'm not a wench."  The words escaped her mouth in an automatic response, with no real heart behind them.  "What happened?"

"That's what I want to know.  What is wrong with you that got the wolf and kit so worked up?"  Inuyasha leaned over the side of the bed, glaring steadily at Kagome.

Her eyes widened slightly, then went back to normal.  "It was nothing.  Forget it."  She stood up and brushed past Inuyasha, heading for the bathroom.

"With how they were acting, that wasn't 'nothing.'  Now tell me what's wrong with you!"  Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's arm and jerked her around to face him.

"Inuyasha, let go of me!  I said forget about it!"  She jerked out of his grip and entered the bathroom, closing the door sharply behind her.

"I won't forget, wench.  And I won't stop asking!"  He yelled in frustration at the door and slammed the room key on the nearby dresser before leaving to go to his own room down the hall that he shared with the absent Miroku.

*

After Inuyasha was gone, Kagome waited a few minutes before coming back into the main bedroom.  She was looking passively at her hands and was biting her lip in concentration.

"Why now?"  Fed up, she collapsed onto her bed to think.  The last time she had had a major problem with this, she was only fifteen, but that was over two years ago.  Her hope was that the problem was gone, but it had been showing face the last few weeks fairly prominently.  

Last week she had managed to hide it from the boys, but now…

She punched her pillow.  Her life was miserable, and wasn't about to be turning around anytime soon.

The door opened and Kagome heard someone approaching the bed, but didn't bother to look up to see who it was.  

"Sango's on the phone.  She's calling from her plane collect, so you best make it quick."

Kagome looked up to see the wind youkai standing there with her cell phone in hand.

"Arigato."  She took the phone from Kagura and smiled as the girl quickly yet smoothly exited the room.  "Moshi, moshi."

"Oi, Kagome-chan, Kagura told me what happened.  How are you doing?"  Sango's sweet voice came over the phone, soothing the young girl holding the phone.

"Okay, I guess.  I just don't know how much more of this I can take before I crack."  Kagome felt her emotions stirring inside of her and tried to hold back the eminent tears from coming.

"Just wait till I get there, girl.  Don't you dare do anything rash before then."  

Kagome could just picture Sango's serious, yet comical expression as she spoke.  "Thanks, Sango-chan.  Don't worry yourself, I'll be here when you arrive."

"Good.  That's a promise, now."  

The raven-haired girl swallowed her saliva, tears running down her cheeks.  "Sango-chan, daijoubu ka?"

"Hai, daijoubu.  But Kagome-chan, the real question is: are _you_ alright?"

"I already told you, I'm fine."  Kagome tried to laugh a little, but it came out as more of a whine.

"Inuyasha's not bothering you is he?  Cuz' I'll pound him for you if he is."

"Iie.  Everything's fine.  I'm just a little shaken up, that's all."  Kagome took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerve somewhat.  "When will you arrive?"

"Not for another couple of hours.  Probably around 3 tomorrow morning."

"Ugh, that early?  You'll be dead tired."  Kagome felt her heart lightening somewhat, her mind off of the issue pressing her earlier.

"I know, but don't think I won't drag you around Bombay, cuz' I still want to go sight seeing."  

"Yeah, yeah.  But do you think we could keep it down to a minimum?  I'm feeling really stressed right now."

"Understood.  We'll only wander till dark instead of till dusk."

"Sango~chan!"

"Just kidding!  Just kidding!  You don't actually think I'd keep anyone out that long in a strange place, do you?"

"Yes."

"I scoff at your lack of faith in me.  But that's okay, I'll prove myself yet!"

Kagome smiled lightly.  Sango always knew just what to do when Kagome was down, and the leader of Sengotsu was very grateful for it. 

"Well, I better let you go now, or Kagura will get on my case about her phone bill."

Standing up, Kagome giggled.  "Yeah, we all know how she can be, well, call us when your plane comes in."

*

The next morning, it was still raining and the heat was miserable, making all of the international travelers slightly cranky.  Sango and Kagome's shopping excursion was a no go, and everyone was stuck inside to wait for the evening's concert.

Kagome walked down the hall absentmindedly, whistling the tune of a song she had heard that morning on the radio.  She passed an open door and looked inside, spotting a snoring Miroku and a hanyou who looked about ready to kill.

"Hey Inuyasha.  How's it going?"  Uninvited, Kagome walked into the room, looking around in surprise.  "Man is this room messy."

"Keh.  What's it to you, wench?"  Inuyasha folded his arms and leaned back on the headboard of his hotel bed with a scowl implanted on his face.

"We've only been here a day.  How could you get this place so messy in so short a time?  Honestly, you are such a slob."  There were piles of clothes strewn about the room, some obviously dirty, and the dresser drawers were randomly pulled slightly out with other knickknacks popping out of them.

"I like it this way.  Makes it feel more like home."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha with one eyebrow cocked.  "Remind me never to go near your house."

Inuyasha only smirked.  "Actually wrote a song about it once.  The slut you call your sister tried to get me to clean it up, so I dedicated it to her.  Quite fitting, actually."

"You like dedicating your songs to people, don't you?"  Kagome slumped on the woven chair in the corner, only watching the snoring pervert out of the corner of her eye.

"Keh, what does it matter?"  Inuyasha looked away from her in a huff, being his usual, stubborn self: over what, who knows?

The raven-haired girl sighed quietly; looking at the window beside her that had rain pouring down it on the outside.  "Most of the songs I write aren't about people, but about feelings.  Ever thought about that?"

Inuyasha only looked back at Kagome blankly, then he remembered something.  "That's right.  Wench, tell me what happened yesterday."

Kagome's aura immediately darkened, and Inuyasha realized that that probably wasn't the best thing to say.  "What happened yesterday was none of your concern.  You should just forget about it."  Once again Inuyasha caught a glimpse of her hands glowing pink, but he may have just been hallucinating.

She stood up and left in a rush, obviously not wanting to be interrogated further by the hanyou.

"Keh, stupid girl."  Inuyasha adjusted himself so he was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you know what, this situation reminds me of that song you mentioned."

Inuyasha's head jerked around so he was looking at the other bed where Miroku was lying.  "You were awake?"

"The entire time.  But you know, Inuyasha, the woman is always right, and us men would fumble without them."

"And this coming from a lecher who gropes anything with a high voice and large breasts within sight."  The silver-haired boy rolled his eyes in sarcasm and turned so he was no longer looking at his roommate. 

"Even the song YOU wrote is witness to what I say, I mean, think about it: you sing about a guy who leaves his girl to live on his own, and he can't seem to get anything done properly without her, yet he refuses to go crawling back."  Miroku took a deep breath, having run out of air during his little speech.

"I wrote that after dating Kikyou for a month, give me a break dude.  What was I supposed to do?"  Inuyasha sat up, growling slightly.

"I don't know, write about the dude being successful after he leaves and not some big failure?"  

It was a good point, but Inuyasha was too stubborn to admit to that.  "Keh."

_I woke up this morning_

_Looked around the room_

_Smiled knowing I'd leave this today_

_To go out on my own _

_Where you can't tell me what to do_

Inuyasha jumped and glared at Miroku, who was smiling innocently as his hand pulled away from the travel size boom box that Inuyasha always brought so he could listen to music whenever he felt like it.

_Ya've yelled at me to eat me veggies_

_Scolded me for stayin out too long_

_But not anymore woman_

_Today I'm leaving and not lookin' back_

_Don't expect me to live by your rules_

_I'm my own master now_

_No one to tell me what to do_

_Get out of my life girl_

_And don't you dare come crawlin back_

_Found my own place ta live_

_Keep the spare key in me pocket_

_I'll never let you touch it_

_Don't need my place sparklin' like yours_

_I like it just the way it is_

_Soiled clothes on the floor_

_Last night's beer on the counter_

_Don't touch those chips_

_They've been there for an eternity_

_Watch where you step, there's a knife there_

_I'm my own master now_

_No one to tell me what to do_

_Get out of my life girl_

_And don't you dare come crawlin back_

_Can't seem to find my shoe_

_Isn't in the closet or under the bed_

_No one's cleaned up this dump in ages_

_Not a clean smelling shirt in the closet_

_Where's that odor coming from?_

_Electricity got cut last week_

_Couldn't pay the bill_

_Plumbing's been actin' up for a month_

_Haven't bothered callin' that dude that fixes it_

_Too lazy to do much of anything_

_I'm my own master now_

_No one to tell me what to do_

_Get out of my life girl_

_And don't you dare come crawlin back_

_You knew this was going to happen_

_Didn't you woman?_

_That's why you let me go_

_Without much of a fight_

_Why didn't ya warn me of the work?_

_Don't matter, I still ain't going back_

_To the way it used to be_

_I'll pick up my own pieces_

_Without your help _

_Get out of my mind and stay there_

I'm my own master now 

_No one to tell me what to do_

_Get out of my life girl_

_And don't you dare come crawlin back_

_And don't expect me to come back to you_

_I'm not just some obedient puppy _

_Who does what he's told_

_Not eager to please you_

_Not putting you before myself_

_Because I'm my own master now_

_No one to tell me what to do_

_Get out of my life girl_

_And don't you dare come crawlin back_

"Keh, that sounds nothing like my situation."  Inuyasha stomped out of the room with a sulk covering his face.

Miroku only smiled mysteriously, knowing that his old time friends feelings were a lot deeper sown then the musician was letting on.

~

**Sagi:** Well, they're in India now, and that's that.

**Gem:** I feel like such a geek now.  In order to get some info on India for the fic, I had to look it up in the Encyclopedia, which I'll continue doing for future locations of the cast in the story.

**Sagi:** The information you call useless now will one day become a necessity.

**Gem:** Saggy, I'm seriously going to kill you if you don't stop spouting nonsense.  How is knowing how much a rupee is in US dollars going to be useful to me?

**Sagi:** What if you go to India?

**Gem:** Fat chance of that happening.

**Inutori:** *cough, cough* Conversation now ending.  I'd like to request that I get 100 reviews by chapter 10.  As in, before I post chapter 11, I hope to have 100 reviews.  So far none of my stories have hit this mark, and it would please me greatly if I were able to do so with this one.

**Gem:** I'm not sure how long this story will be yet, but I can guarantee that if I get enough reviews, it will be more appealing than if I don't get the reviews.  Since I won't skip over any stops/side adventures if I get reviews.


	10. Friday, July 2

**Gem:** Someone wanted to know why Inuyasha and Kagome are acting the way they are around each other even though Inuyasha was supposedly given a second chance

**Kagome:** That's fairly easy to explain.  In the actual show I say that I'm being stupid at one point and ask Inuyasha to forgive me, he agrees, but it doesn't really change our relationship.  Even though the situation we had been in at the time was fairly intimate.

**Gem:** There you have it.  Straight from the horses mouth.  Kagome & Inuyasha got off on the wrong foot to begin with, and basically in Australia, Inuyasha asked to start over with a clean slate.  That doesn't mean that his entire demeanor will change overnight.

**Inuyasha:** Keh.  I'm never going to change.

**Sagi:** You will by the time I'm through with you.  *evil grin*

**Inuyasha:** *running away* Keep the midget away from me!  Stupid wenches.

**Gem:** I don't own Inuyasha, so why don't you scroll down and read the next insertion of Enchanted.

Chapter 10

Sengotsu

Day two of their stay in Bombay was no different than the first.  It was still pouring like there was no tomorrow outside and it was still fairly hot indoors.  Ami and Ayame were lounging in their room, bored out of their minds.

"Maybe we could go flirt with the locals."  Ami sighed miserably as she watched the second hand on her wristwatch slowly make its way around the clock.

"In the hotel?"  Ayame barely opened her closed eyes to look at her roommate tiredly.

"Why are you always shooting down my ideas?"

"I don't know, maybe because they're all illogical?"  Ayame sank further into her temporary bed and closed her eyes again.

"Maybe I'll go flirt with Kouga-kun then.  That'd pass the time until tonight's concert well enough."

Ayame's eyes popped open in some form of surprise as she shot up like lightning and glared at Ami.  "Don't you dare go near Kouga."

The young kitsune just looked back at her companion with a shrug and headed out of the room and down the hall.  With a very wolf-like growl, Ayame followed after Ami and cut off the younger girl's path.

"What is _your_ problem, Ayame-chan?"  Ami cocked her head to the side, her light brown hair falling partially onto her face.

The female ookami-youkai didn't respond but just glared coldly at the girl in front of her.

Ami slightly smiled, suddenly realizing what was really happening.  "Oh, you like Kouga-kun, don't you?"  Sticking out her tongue slightly, Ami smiled cynically.  

"Whatever."  Ayame stopped her low growl and relaxed.  "Let's go."  Her sudden change surprised Ami quite a bit, and the gears in the prodigy's head began to turn with this new information.

Once this data had been "processed," Ami found herself wondering if this tour was such a good idea afterall.  One group made up of two humans, and three youkai; and the other made up of a human, a hanyou, and a youkai.  Things could begin to get a little sticky and claws could fly without a moment's notice.

*

Another concert was at hand, and there were a couple of sour faces among the performers.  Not to mention any names, but the worst one would have to have long silver hair.

It seemed American music wasn't as popular a thing here in India as it was in California.  So Enchanted's performance wasn't applauded nearly as much as Inuyasha would have liked.  

Sengotsu was about to get on stage and play their songs when Kagome paused next to Inuyasha to grab his hand and smile at him.  "You guys did great, the audience just doesn't know how to appreciate you."

That brought a touch of a smile to Inuyasha's face and he was reluctant to let go of Kagome's hand as she continued her trek for the wooden stage.  He wasn't sure still why she affected him the way she did, or why he was trying to go out of his way to do anything for her.  It just sort of…happened…

On stage, Kagome took the microphone and spoke to the crowd calmly.  Not something Inuyasha was used to seeing.  Usually you pumped the crowd; you didn't settle them down.

_Tonight is the night_

_The night of Sengotsu_

_The night when only the stars_

_Are there to light the way_

Kagome's clear, crisp voice carried through the building and resonated off the back wall.  The crowd was in apparent awe and the only sound was the sure female voice floating from the stage.

After Kagome's words stopped and the smooth echo they had left behind died down, a piano began to play an entrancing melody that drew in the very soul.  

Inuyasha looked over and saw Kagura sitting on the piano bench, her hands flowing over the keys like water.  Ayame was standing next to the piano with a flute in her hands.  Ami too had a flute with her, and in unison, they brought the instruments to their lips and played a harmony that matched Kagura's playing.

The tune was soft and gentle, yet at the same time blissful, not really something that Inuyasha had expected from a bunch of girls that seemed to like songs more along the lines of pop rock.

Sango still sat at her drum set, her drumsticks lightly tapping a steady beat that blended well into the background of the music.  She leaned forward and sang into her nearby microphone just as the piano music grew a notch in volume.

_Sengotsu_

_I really missed you_

_When will you come again?_

_Don't tell me that you're going to leave_

_For another month_

A few more measures of piano and flute, then Kagome sang again.

_Sengotsu _

_I really love you_

_I don't think I'd be able_

_To survive without you_

_So stay just a little longer_

In unison, Sango and Kagome sang the chorus over the gentle sounding instruments.  The tune was almost slow moving, but yet seemed light and perky, just like the girls performing it.

_Tonight is the night_

_The night of Sengotsu_

_The night when only the stars _

_Are there to light the way_

Once again Sango sang the first few lines of the verse and Kagome finished it, singing in unison for another round of the chorus.

Sengotsu 

_I am a star shining brightly _

_In your dark sky_

_With no moon I can_

_Stand out among the rest_

_Sengotsu_

_Is the best night of the month_

_There's no moon for the wolves_

_To sing their songs to_

_And howl about the kill_

_Tonight is the night_

_The night of Sengotsu_

_The night when only the stars _

_Are there to light the way_

_Sengotsu_

_Come back to me_

_Sengotsu_

_I'll miss you_

_Sengotsu_

_Till next time we meet_

_Sengotsu_

_Don't you forget me_

_Sengotsu_

_You are beautiful_

_Sengotsu!_

The song slowly died until the entire hall was silent as a ghost.  Then without warning, shots of joys and excitement rang up throughout the stands like Inuyasha never expected.

It took all he was worth not to let his jaw drop to the floor in amazement, and when he glanced at Miroku out of the corner of his eye he immediately made note of the large droplet of drool.

After the rest of Sengotsu's songs for the evening, the girls once again came backstage with content looks on their faces.  

Kouga was holding Kagome's hands in an instant, looking at Kagome with a sparkle in his eye as he spoke.  "You have such a beautiful voice that even the angels envy you, my dear Kagome."

A sweat drop made its way down the side of Sango's face, as Kagome blushed slightly pink.

"A-arigato, Kouga-kun."  Kagome stumbled over her words with embarrassment, not noticing the two musicians in the room that were growling slightly.

However, Ami did notice, and was put on edge by it.  There were two youkai in this cramped space that were letting their instincts get the better of them.  If no one stepped in soon, a fight or two would ensue.

Not wanting anyone killed at the moment, Ami scooted over so she was standing by Miroku and told him that his assistance was required.  She didn't fail to notice that Miroku too had seen how angry Inuyasha and Ayame looked.

*

"Ami, I am not going to sit here and watch!"  Ayame paced through their hotel room later that night, on the verge of ripping her hair out.

"And I'm not asking you to.  I'm just saying that you shouldn't take this all out on Kagome."  Ami sat on her bed nervously, she still being unnerved by the teeth gnashing that had occurred when she and Miroku had tried to play mediator.

The wolf youkai turned on her angrily, temper flaring dangerously out of control.  "This is her fault!  If it weren't for her, Kouga would be paying attention to me!"

"She didn't ask Kouga to like her!"  Ami leaned forward slightly, feeling her own temper rising.

"Every guy falls head over heels for her and never gives me a second glance!  She flaunts around going 'I'm the leader of Sengotsu.  Look at me.' "  Ayame flung her hands like a preppy girl and forced an obviously fake smile in her own imitation of Kagome.

"Kagome doesn't do that and you know it!"  The tension in the atmosphere of the room was thickening by the minute as the arguing pair continued to lay it on each other.

"Don't you see it, Ami?  Every move she makes, every word she speaks, she's just trying to get another guy's attention.  Never satisfied, never stopping."

"Shut up, Ayame!  You've known Kagome for years!  How can you say things like that?"  Ami felt her youkai powers surfacing, and knew that her fox tail had already appeared and was swinging vigorously behind her with anger.

"She's such a slut!  I hate her!  If she doesn't quit Sengotsu, then I will!"  Ayame stormed out of the room and down the hall towards the stairs to go to the lobby in a huff.

Ami sat perfectly still on her bed, shocked at the wolf demon's words.  "She wouldn't…really quit…would she?"  Tears swelled up in her eyes and soon they were streaming down her face.  "What's happening to us?"  Her hands came up to cover her eyes and very quickly her stream of tears turned into full-fledged sobbing.

*

The next morning everyone boarded a train to head north to Agar, Uttar Pradesh to see the Taj Mahal before leaving the country.  There was a tense silence among the travelers that were dispersed between two private rooms on the railroad train.

Sesshoumaru, Kouga, Ayame, and Kagura were in one room, and the remaining five were located in the other.

Sesshoumaru sat silently, brooding over the expenses the tour was forcing on the group while Ayame tried to make conversation with Kouga.

"What do you like to do in your free time?"

"Don't have any."

"Well, how bout if you had some free time, what would you do?"

"I don't know, hire some girl to entertain me?"

The conversation was closed with a disgusted looking Ayame and a bored drummer.

Kagura sat on the other end of the small room in silence, thinking about a letter she had just received from her father.

The door to the hall slid open quickly, there standing an exasperated looking Kagome.  "Ayame, can I talk to you?  Onegai?"  Kagome motioned for Ayame to follow her and the wolf demon reluctantly obeyed, glancing back once or twice at the remaining occupants of the small room.

"What do you want?"  Ayame glared coldly at Kagome the moment the door had slid shut behind them.

Kagome looked at her with one eyebrow raised.  "We're all waiting for you in the next car.  I was thinking this would be the perfect time to practice that song I showed you guys before we left Japan."

"Forget it."

"Nande?"  Kagome was forced to do a double take as Ayame's words sank in.

"Kagome Higurashi, from this moment forward, I refuse to continue performing in Sengotsu so long as you're still a member."  Ayame took a deep breath, standing up perfectly straight.

The raven-haired human didn't move; as if time itself had frozen over.  "Ayame-chan?  What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I will quit Sengotsu if you don't."

"Y-you're breaking up the group?  B-but why?"  Kagome trembled slightly, fearing with her entire being what Ayame's answer would be.

"Because I have found that I can no longer work with you."  Ayame refused to look Kagome in the eyes, but instead found her attention focused on the door at the end of the hall behind her newfound enemy.

There was another minute of silence, where you could almost see the gears in Kagome's head turning frantically.  "There's nothing I can do to get you to change your mind, ne?"

"Nothing."

Kagome, too, straightened her back, but she had no fear of looking Ayame straight in the eyes as she spoke.  "Well then, Ayame Wolfe, I hope you're happy.  You have now destroyed the diligent labors of five young women.  One of which is you.  I will leave Sengotsu, but I'll have you know: I wrote Sengotsu's songs, and unless you pay for copyright, they're mine."  Kagome was shaken from the inside out, but she did her best not to show it as she turned on her heel and returned to the other compartment inhabited by the two bands.

Miroku and Inuyasha were the only two in the small room at the time of her entry, and with a signal from the hanyou, Miroku quickly left the premises.  Once he was gone, Kagome flung her arms around Inuyasha's waist and cried her heart out.

Sobs racked her entire body and Inuyasha wasn't exactly sure what he should do.  With a great deal of nervousness he began to run one of his strong hands up and down Kagome's back.  It seemed to work fairly well as a calming method, and within a few minutes Kagome was silent.

"What's wrong, Kagome?"  Inuyasha was still quite nervous about this whole ordeal, and his hesitation could easily be identified in his voice.

"N-nothing."  She tightened her grip on Inuyasha and buried her face into his side none-too-gently.

~

**Gem:** Sorry for the short chapter and the time it took to update, but I was…er…occupied…

**Inuyasha:** By what?  An elephant?

**Gem:** Something along those lines.  

**Inuyasha:** Yeah right.

**Sagi:** I was one of her many distractions!

**Kagome:** That's not really something to be proud of, you know.

**Sagi:** And your point being?

**Gem:** *cough* Well, anyways…peoples have asked what the deal with Kagome is, and here's the low down: I ain't telling just yet because it has to do with the story's plot!

**Inuyasha:** Wait, this thing actually has a plot?

**Gem:** Of course!  And now for something else requested by peoples: translations of Japanese words I use.

Matte~ wait

Onegai~ please

Arigato~ thank you

Okaa-san~ mother

Sengotsu~ new moon

Hai~ yes

Ite~ ouch

Iie~ no

Hentai~ pervert

Ja ne~ See ya later (sorta)

Minna-san~ everyone

-chan~ friend or little

-san~ more formal way of addressing someone

-kun~ addressing a male friend

-sama~ a way of addressing a lord or someone above you in status

Keep in mind that I am not a major in Japanese, so this may not necessarily be totally correct, but this is what I believe I've learned through all the anime and fanfiction I've subjected myself to.  Sorry if I missed some of the words I've used in the story, and I may have listed some words I haven't used.  But maybe I'll get to those ones in the future.  

Until then, ja ne, minna-san!


	11. Saturday, July 3

**Inutori:** Hey there, minna-san!

**Sagi:** We're finally back with a new chapter!

**Gem:** What's with the 'we'?  You didn't help write the chapter.

**Sagi:** So?

**Gem:** Baka.

**Inuyasha:** Will you just get on with the introductions already?

**Inutori:** Don't get your panties in a bunch, Inu-chan.

**Sagi:** Inutori does not own Inuyasha nor his crew, so tell your lawyers to back off, please.

**Gem:** I'm the only one who has the right to sick lawyers on people.

**Inuyasha:** Why's that?

**Gem:** …

Chapter 11

Caught In The Act

The tension was thick in the air, all but one of the members of Sengotsu angry with another one.  Kagura didn't show any inclination of caring about what was happening, that, or she just didn't know: since the breakup hadn't been announced.

Ami had told Sango what Ayame had said about quitting while they were pulling out instruments to practice in the train, and when they found Kagome with tear stains on her cheeks cuddled in Inuyasha's lap, they only could guess what had happened.

Sango found her hands clenching and unclenching in her anger, her eyes focused on Ayame and never straying from her target.  The little twit was attempting to flirt with Kouga and was acting like there was absolutely nothing wrong.

"Chill, Sango.  You don't need to make a scene."  Ami was hanging back with Sango behind the group, her eyes following Sango's to the wolf youkai ahead.  

"I'm going to wring her pretty neck."  Sango had obvious venom in her voice and her nails digging into her palms were beginning to draw blood.

Ami sighed in misery.  None of this would have ever happened if they had stayed in Japan.  She turned her head to whisper something to Sango, only to find that she was no longer beside her.

Looking ahead, Ami saw the drummer tapping Ayame's shoulder calmly and saying something to her.

*

The two girls made their way to the bathroom calmly, Sango leading.  Ayame was smiling contently from the attention she had been getting since the train ride, and was oblivious to Sango's tense muscles.

Once in the bathroom and out of sight of the others, Sango turned angrily to face Ayame.  

"What do you hope to accomplish?!"

Ayame stepped back slightly in surprise at Sango's outburst, not expecting to be yelled at.

"You're an idiot!  Do you know how much I want to punch you right now?!"  Sango didn't have a relaxed muscle in her body at that moment, and her clenched teeth could've bitten through iron. 

"What are you talking about, Sango-chan?"

"Don't Sango-chan me!  You think I don't know that you're breaking up the band over some petty crush??  I'm not an idiot!"  Sango stepped forward slightly, forcing Ayame to back up into the concrete wall.

"It's not a petty crush!"  Ayame had true fear written on her face and her heart beat at an abnormal rate.

"Oh really?  Then what is it?  A mild attraction?  Is that what you're breaking us up for?  An puny draw to a guy who's out of your league anyway??"  Sango flared up, her magenta eyes seeming to darken in her anger, giving off the feeling of a devil of some sort.

"I- I love him!"  Ayame screamed it, tears pooling in her eyes.

"How can you love a man you've known for half a month?"  Sango growled; her head tilting back slightly, anger still flowing from her body in tsunamis.

"I don't know.  I just…do."  Ayame quieted down considerably, sounding like a small mouse subjecting herself to the hungry lion.

*

The visit to the Taj Mahal ended and the musicians were on their way to the closest airport to get on their way.

"Have you found anything in her medical records yet?"  Inuyasha sat in a private room with his half-brother, a scowl written plainly across his face.

Sesshoumaru waited a moment to answer, allowing his useless excuse for a brother to linger in suspense.  "Possibly."

"What that's supposed to mean?  It was a yes or no question."  Inuyasha leaned forward angrily, his scowl growing by the second.

"It means that something suspicious was found, but it isn't necessarily what you wanted."

"Well, spit it out already."  Inuyasha scooted to the edge of his seat, anticipating what Sesshoumaru had to say.

With a deep breath, Sesshoumaru continued.  "She was delivered premature and was taken care of by a doctor Onigumo Naraku."  He paused, opening the briefcase that lay on the seat next to him.

"And what's so suspicious about that?  Babies are born premature all the time."

"I was getting to that."  Sesshoumaru handed Inuyasha some papers that had been extracted from his bag.  "Naraku was arrested within a month of the birth and put on trial for human experimentation.  Apparently he was using infant test subjects for his research."

"And she was an infant under his supervision…"

"Exactly.  He may have used her for his experimentation, if that explains anything to you."  Sesshoumaru grabbed his briefcase and stood up, preparing to leave them compartment.

"This Naraku.  Where is he now?"

"I'll have that looked into."  And with that, Sesshoumaru left the room and headed towards the dining car to get a bite to eat.

*

They flew out of Delhi without incidence and continued on their journey around the world.  Sesshoumaru hadn't told them where they were going next, so they were all left to ponder their unknown fate.

Out of all of Sengotsu's members, Ami was the only one that showed any inclination towards socializing during the flight out of India.

The Indian man serving them noticed the contention and silently wondered what the problem was.

"Begum Sahib, may I get you something to drink?"  The man looked at Kagome quizzically, gaining him a growl from a certain hanyou.

"Her name ain't Begum, so bug off."  Inuyasha's teeth were bared slightly at the man and his golden eyes flashed with malice.

"Ugh, Inuyasha no baka."  Ami rolled her eyes and approached the three in the midst of a conflict.  "Begum Sahib is a formal way of addressing a lady to be considered above you.  Kind of like in ancient Japan they used -sama."

"Keh."  Inuyasha sat back down in his seat between Kagome and the Indian server.

Ami just shook her head, smiling slightly at the singer's obliviousness to the world outside his head.  With that thought in mind, she honed in on Miroku to be her next victim for torture.

"Ah, Ami!  Whatever brings you to sit by this humble monk?"  Miroku smiled at her in a seemingly innocent manner, but his wiggling eyebrows detracted from that innocence.  

"Humble monk my foot.  You conceited dork." Ami rolled her eyes for what seemed the thousandth time that day and yawned tiredly.

"I'm appalled that you think so lowly of me!"  Miroku leaned back, his expression forming into a pout.

"Don't be."  Ami slumped down next to the man with the miniscule pigtail at the base of his neck with a sigh.

A silence fell between them and nowhere in the cabin was a noise made, not even any sniffle or cough.  It seemed as if a spell had been cast over the group without warning.

*

Kouga smiled at Kagome and Ayame as he stepped onto the stage with Inuyasha and Miroku.  They still weren't sure where they were, since everything was written in a language none of them knew.  Amazingly, not even Ami could tell them their location.

Inuyasha wasn't quite sure what to do given the crowd made up of people who didn't speak a word of English, so, with a shrug, Inuyasha signaled for Kouga to start the music.

When I was young

Tired and restless

I did things that I shouldn't

Things that were stupid yet funny

And as I grow older

I've moved 'round more

Did the things parents warned about

Getting into all sorts of mischief

I've been caught in the act 

Of staring at you

Put behind bars

Just for hearing you coo

I've tried to impress

By doing strange things

But it gets me nowhere

'Cept landed in the hospital

Suspicious to police

Are my curious looks

So that whenever I go out 

An officer follows me

Kagome was smiling lightly, shooting glances at Ayame who stood next to her.

I try to get your attention

If you'd only look this way

Let's try to work it out

Before the end of the day

When I'm caught in the act 

Of staring at you

Put behind bars

Just for hearing you coo

Baby, just get over here   
Before I'm caught in the act 

Of staring at you

I've been caught in the act

Cuz' baby I love you

*

After Enchanted exited the stage, Kagome took in a deep breath and walked out onto the stage alone.  She stepped up to the microphone and looked at all of the people.

"I don't know how many of you understand English, but here goes:  I apologize to anyone who was looking forward to listening to Sengotsu.  Unfortunately, they will be unable to perform tonight and it is unknown when they will be able to step on stage again."

Kagome swallowed nervously, bowed slightly, and then walked off stage as quickly as she could.

"What was that all about?"  Inuyasha roughly grabbed her upper arm and forced her to stop while she was still just off stage.

"Don't worry about it."  Kagome tried to pull herself out of Inuyasha's grasp, but he had a firm hold on her.

"Does this have something to do with your crying on the train?"

Kagome didn't say anything; just ripping her arm out from Inuyasha's hand and stalking off.

*

Kagura groaned slightly as the phone in her suitcase rang.  She had just gotten out of the shower and was ready for bed, not a conversation.

Sneering slightly, the red-eyed youkai threw open her bag and dug through it to retrieve her cell phone.  With a grunt, she flipped it open and put it up to her ear.

"Hello, Kagura."

The wind youkai sat straight up, pulled out of her tired state in the blink of an eye.  It was _him_.

"You know what I want."  His dark, smooth voice sent chills up her spine and Kagura found herself beginning to sweat.

"Hai."  She made her voice sound as bored as she could.  No need to let _him_ know that she was scared.

"I'll be awaiting your arrival in London."

Kagura could just feel the clump in her throat growing with every passing second.  The fear she was experiencing was more now than it had been when she first spoke to him since…_then_.

_He_ hung up, and Kagura just sat there with the phone hanging limply from her frozen hand.  What had she ever done to deserve _him_ haunting her like this?

She fell back onto the bed, her heart pounding uncontrollably.  With a barely audible hiccup, Kagura closed her eyes and forced herself to go to sleep.

~

**Inutori:** I'm sorry the chapter is so short, and that it took so long to update, but as most of you know, I've been having troubles with my laptop in recent weeks, so my updates will take longer and may be shorter…unfortunately.

**Gem:** But no worries, I haven't died…yet

**Sagi:** In other words saying she might die in the near future.

**Inutori:** Whatever.  Anyway, minna-san, please review for me, and thank you for the spamming, my faithful reviewer…you know who you are…

**Gem:** I still don't have my 100 reviews, although I am close…thanks to my spammer.  Now I'd like to get at least 110 reviews since this is chapter 11.  Well, until next chapter, ja!


	12. Tuesday, July 6, Kikyou's Birthday

**Inutori:** I'd say thanks are in order!

**Sagi:** Why?

**Kagome:** If you'd keep your mouth shut, maybe she'd tell us!

**Inutori:** I decided to finally try and finish this chapter thanks to my reviewer who left and uber long review.  Can't think of their name right now, but it starts with an "A".  Sorry to the reviewer who isn't being given proper credit right now.

**Inuyasha:** And to finish off this author's note…?

**Inutori:** I'm getting to that!  I don't own Inuyasha!  Alright?  Happy now?  Bloodsucking ingrates.  

Chapter 12

Arrow of Light

_A shining star in a bright sky_

_Beckoning onward to all_

_Can't you know that it shows us_

_The way to the arrow of light_

_Flying fast, flying free_

_That's where I want to be_

_Glowing bright, streak of white_

_Pure is the arrow of light_

_Bubbling laughter in the meadow_

Smiling children in the trees 

_Streaming quickly through my head_

_Run these simple memories_

_Soaring high in the sky_

_I know I need fly_

_Glowing bright, streak of white_

_Pure is the arrow of light_

_A shining star_

_Beckoning on_

_It shows us the way_

_To our destiny_

_Flying freely_

_Soaring upward_

_Brightly shining_

_Arrow of light_

_Singing birds write their song_

_To the beat of their wings_

_And so shall I shine brightly_

_Pure as the arrow of light_

_Pure as the arrow of light_

_A sparkling arrow of light_

_Pure is the arrow of light_

Kagome pressed stop on the CD player, feeling the power surge through her veins.  She laughed lightly.  She had written that song after she had accidentally blown up the archery range at school while practicing.

That was the first time she had realized just how deadly she was.  It was that moment that she knew her life would never be normal.

Sango had just gotten into the shower, so Kagome had the room to herself for the moment.  The band had broken up, now she needed to call her dad and get herself back home.

Stifling her next bout of tears, Kagome rolled over on the bed and stopped next to the edge, picking up the phone and preparing to call her dad.

_"You can't escape me, pet."_

Kagome's heart stopped and the phone dropped from her hand.  When she started breathing again, it came fast and staggered.  She was scared out of her mind, and no one was there to comfort her.

"Sango, get out of the shower."  Tears spilled from her eyes as her soft plea to Sango rolled off of her tongue.  She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly, rocking back and forth slightly.

The raven-haired guitar player wasn't stupid and she knew that Sango hadn't heard her, so she waited, crying in her fear and shock.

*

"What?"  Sango dried her hair, looking at Kagome in disbelief.  Her friend's tear-streaked face didn't lie.  Someone had freaked Kagome bad.

"I picked up the phone to call my dad when this creepy voice told me I couldn't escape it."  Kagome looked absolutely distraught and Sango couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Look, no matter what that was, I won't let anything happen to you, alright?"

The singer solemnly nodded her head and leapt into Sango's arms, hugging the drummer tightly.  "Domo arigato, Sango-chan!"

In her mind, Sango angrily cursed the man that chose to bother Kagome every few months.  It traumatized the poor girl every time anew.  What was the psycho's problem?

A knock at the door grabbed Sango's attention, and she reluctantly let go of Kagome to go see who it was.  Through the eyehole, all she could see was black.

Curiousity grabbed her so she cracked open the door.  There stood the 'furyou houshi' with a smug grin on his face.  

"Ah, fair Sango, won't you join me for some coffee downstairs?"

"I hate coffee."

"Then how about some tea?"

Sango scrunched her nose.  "Not in the mood."

"Milkshakes?  On me."

She glanced back at Kagome.  The offer of a free milkshake was too good to pass up, but with Kagome in the state she was…

"Go ahead, Sango-chan, I'll be fine."  Kagome's whisper barely touched her ears before she grabbed her keycard and dashed out the door.

*

Kagura sighed, pacing her room with the knowledge of her last phone call weighing on her mind.  It was _him_ again, but this time he wanted her to do something.  

Finally building up her courage from some unknown store, she left the hotel room and headed down the hall.  She knocked on a door a few down from her own, and was greeted by the solemn face of the fox youkai Ami.

"Hi, Kagura-chan."  She almost sounded disappointed to see Kagura, as if she was hoping it would be someone else.

"Hi, Ami.  Is Ayame in?"

Ami forced a smile, but only one side of her lips turned upward.  "Yeah, but she's in the bathroom right now.  Why don't you come in for a little?"

Kagura shrugged, not wanting to talk anymore until it was necessary.

Eventually Ayame meandered out of the bathroom, smiling brightly and humming a Disney tune.

"Oi, Ayame.  I need to talk with you.  Follow me."

Ayame followed Kagura's steps with her confused eyes, but her feet did not comply with Kagura's order.

"I said, follow me."  Kagura looked back impatiently at the wolf youkai before continuing her trek away from the hotel rooms.

After a few moments, Ayame followed after Kagura at a respectable distance.

The wind youkai led the other demon around back of the hotel into a narrow alleyway where it was shrouded in darkness.

"What are we doing here?"  Ayame looked around in confusion, baffled at the strange place Kagura had taken her to.

Kagura let out a grunt, then let her fist fly at Ayame's unsuspecting body.

*

Sango and Miroku sat down opposite of each other at the small table, each with their own shake.  Chocolate for Miroku and Sango had strawberry.

"I never pictured you as a strawberry girl.  Thought you'd like chocolate best.  Guess I was wrong."  Miroku smiled kindly at Sango, his white teeth showing clearly.

"You can never tell with people."  Sango returned the happy expression, allowing all of the worries of her mind shut themselves into a closet for the time being.

The black-haired man smiled grew even more and he looked appreciatively into Sango's eyes.  "Thanks."

"For what?"  Sango cocked her head to the side and looked at him strangely.

Miroku sighed.  "I know a lot has been happening for your gang and you probably haven't been too cheerful lately.  Thanks for coming here with me."

Sango looked away from Miroku, her troubles seeming to crash around her once again.  "Don't worry about it.  I'm sure everything will work out for the better soon enough."

A man with silver-white hair approached their table gracefully and silently.  

"Oi, human."

Miroku leaped at least a foot into the air, obviously unaware of the demon's approach up until that moment.  He jerked around and met with the cold golden eyes of…

"S-Sesshoumaru?"  Miroku stuttered, still trying to get over the scare of his life.

"Where's Kagura?"  His monotone voice gave away nothing of his reasoning behind wanting to find Kagura; neither did his expressionless eyes.

"Sorry, haven't seen her since last night at dinner."  Sango shrugged at the inu youkai and turned back to her milkshake.  "Did you try your…I mean HER room?"

"Of course." 

Sango merely shrugged.  "You could check with one of the other girls, but Kagura usually doesn't tell people where she's going."

"Domo."  And with that, Sesshoumaru seemed to glide out of the little café to return his search for the wind youkai.

"Why do you think Fluffy wants to find Kagura-chan?"  Sango turned back to look at Miroku, and watched as he took on an extremely perverted grin.

"I don't know, maybe my stoic manager got struck by Cupid and now he wants to go show the woman of his heart how he feels."

The female drummer snorted.  "The day Kagura accepts anything from the opposite gender is the day that Sengotsu reforms."

"So you're saying it's entirely possible."  

"No, I'm saying that it will never happen."  Sango went back to her milkshake, signaling that the conversation at hand was over.

The silence between them stretched on, and each of them wracked their brains for something to talk about.

Miroku found something first.  "Are you a virgin?"

~

**Inutori:** Sorry the chapter's a bit shorter than the others, I just thought that this would be a good place to end it.

**Sango:** I can't believe Miroku asked me THAT!

**Inutori:** Sango?

**Sango:** …never mind, I guess I can. 

**Inutori:** For those of you who requested it, we're having our Miroku/Sango moment.  Cherish it while you can…it may be a while before it happens again.

**Miroku:** Not if I can help it.

**Sango:**  I'll make sure Inutori is right.

**Miroku:** Do you hate me that much, Sango-sama?

**Sango:** …maybe…

**Inutori:** Well, please review, and until next chapter, JA NE!


	13. Tuesday, July 6, Kikyou's Birthday

**Inutori:** I'm SO sorry I didn't get this up sooner, and to show how sorry I am, I'll just say I don't own Inuyasha and let you guys go read the story.

Chapter 13

If You Love Me

Tuesday, July 6, 2004 (Kikyou's Birthday still)

Miroku found all of Sango's milkshake sprayed across his face after his seemingly innocent question.

"N-nani?!?" Sango's eyes were wide open as she stared at the supposed 'monk'. She couldn't believe that he had asked her _that_.

Apparently Miroku didn't think much of what he had just asked to the eighteen-year-old drummer. "Just trying to make some light conversation, Sango-sama."

Sango nearly choked again. "You call that light conversation?" She openly stared at the bass player and he shamelessly stared back.

"Well, are you?"

Clenching her fists, Sango attempted to refrain herself from killing the young star. She only succeeded partially and dove at him, mercilessly punching him to the point that he lost consciousness.

"There's your answer, pervert." The raven-haired girl stood up, brushing herself off like nothing had happened. She ignored the stares from the other restaurant guests and walked out of the café with her head held high.

**Scene Change:**

Ayame held her side, the wind knocked out of her still. "Ka-Kagura?" She looked up at her friend with confusion plainly written on her face.

"Don't 'Kagura' me. I'm not in the mood." Kagura stood tall, her red eyes flaring with anger.

"What are you doing?" Ayame was thoroughly confused, her green eyes hesitantly meeting the other demon's gaze.

Kagura chuckled. "You know exactly what I'm doing."

Ayame didn't answer, merely continuing to hold her side and stare at the wind youkai.

In answer, Kagura hit her again, sending her flying into the brick wall beside them. "I'm showing you exactly how weak and pathetic you are." Kagura walked over to the now crouching wolf slowly. "I know why the group is disbanded. I'm not stupid Ayame. So don't take me for some idiot." Her hand reached out and grabbed hold of Ayame's brown hair.

"ITE! Ite, ite, ite!" Tears formed in Ayame eyes as her body lifted off of the ground.

"Don't act so weak. You let emotions control you. You allow yourself to be selfish and greedy because of that weakness." Kagura growled at Ayame, lifting her higher, her grip on the wolf demon's hair firm.

Ayame forced her eyes open to look at the bass guitar player. "I'm not weak."

Kagura pushed Ayame up against the wall. "You're not weak? Ha. That's funny. If you're not weak, how can I be doing this to you? If you're so strong, why don't you try winning the heart of Kouga instead of killing the competition?"

"…"

"If you weren't weak, then you wouldn't take the easy way out of everything. You are always looking for the easiest way to get what you want. Only a weak person like you wouldn't want to work to earn what they desire." Kagura's eyebrows furrowed, giving her a look more menacing than before.

They stood there like that for a few moments before Kagura released Ayame's hair, allowing the wolf youkai to crumple to the ground.

"Think about it Ayame. Do you really want to win everything knowing you took the easy paths by cheating?" With that, Kagura left Ayame and returned inside the hotel to find a bathroom and clean the blood from her hands.

"Kagura."

She hadn't yet found that bathroom when someone called out to her. Turning around lazily, she found herself looking at the manager of Enchanted. "What do you want, Sesshoumaru?"

"That's Sesshoumaru-sama to you, lowlife." Kagura cocked an eyebrow at a little green toad at Sesshoumaru's heel. It looked as if it had been thrown in the fire a few too many times to count.

"What is that?" Kagura looked back up at Sesshoumaru in question.

"It is my repugnant subordinate Jaken." Sesshoumaru didn't look down at the hideous youkai, but instead allowed his eyes to linger on Kagura's blood-covered hands.

"You can say that again," Kagura mumbled under her breath. Then she spoke up, looking directly at the tall inu youkai. "What did you want?"

Sesshoumaru pulled out a couple files from his briefcase, handing them to Kagura. "You're name is Kagura Naraku, right?"

"Yes. What's your point?"

"Any relation to Onigumo Naraku, perchance?"

Kagura dropped the folder on the floor, her hands shaking. The contents of the envelopes scattered across the lobby floor, revealing a picture of a man with long, dark, wavy hair in a high ponytail wearing dark clothes.

"Wh-why do you ask?" She felt her heart pounding in her chest and her eyes were beginning to water.

"Just curious." With that, Sesshoumaru turned on his heel and left, leaving Kagura alone in the hotel lobby.

The toad turned to glare at her only a moment before following faithfully after the dog demon. Kagura fell back into one of the lounge chairs and closed her eyes, trying to breath.

**Scene Change:**

His cell phone wouldn't stop ringing, so finally Inuyasha leaned over and answered it. "What do you want?"

"You! I want you, babe!"

A disgusted look crossed his face as he recognized the voice on the phone. "No really, why are you calling?"

"To say your present for me didn't arrive. You did send it overnight express, right?" Kikyou's snobby voice penetrated Inuyasha's ear, causing him to growl in the back of his throat.

The guitar player rolled his eyes, silently cursing himself for forgetting it was Kikyou's birthday and that he should have known not to answer the phone. "Sorry, I must have lost track of time, Kikyou. I totally forgot it was your birthday today, otherwise-"

"That's okay! You can just get me an engagement ring to make up for it!"

"Listen carefully, woman. You and I are over. I didn't get you a birthday present because I DON'T CARE WHEN OR WHERE A BIMBO LIKE YOU WAS BORN and I definitely don't want to celebrate it!" Inuyasha crushed the phone in his hand, letting the pieces fall to the floor beside his bed.

"So, exactly how many phones do you go through month?"

Inuyasha flipped over and looked at Kagome, who was standing in the doorway connecting his room to the next one. "None of your business."

"From what I caught of that conversation, I'd say that was Kikyou on the phone." Kagome smiled at the frown covering Inuyasha's face.

"Kagome." Inuyasha rolled onto his back, facing the ceiling instead of his ex-girlfriend's little sister.

"Hm?" Kagome walked closer to the bed, standing just beside the mattress.

"When's your birthday?"

Kagome let out a rich laugh. "Came and went, bub. Sorry!"

"Do you want something? I mean, for your birthday." Inuyasha sounded subdued, and he was trying his hardest not to stick his foot in his mouth, like he seemed to have a knack for doing.

"You already gave me that necklace, silly. That was more than enough for me." Kagome sat down on the edge of the bed gently, sighing loudly.

"Something on your mind?"

"I think…I'm ready to tell you what's going on with me." Kagome's voice was soft and hesitant.

Inuyasha immediately sat up, showing Kagome that he was all-ears.

"Well, I come from a shrine, you know?" Inuyasha nodded. "I was born with some spiritual powers and such, but when I was born, some crazy scientist injected an experimental something-or-other into my blood stream. I don't know if it was supposed to, but it ended up enhancing my powers to the point where I can't control them."

Kagome paused, swallowing slightly and looking at Inuyasha to see what his reaction would be.

"So now, whenever I'm under a lot of physical or emotional stress, my powers get out of hand and I start blowing things up and purifying demons and the like."

**Scene Change:**

Kouga flipped through the magazine, bored out of his mind. A knock on his door brought him back to reality, and he sprang to answer it.

Swinging open the door, he was greeted with a disgruntled looking she-demon. She fell forward limply and he reached out and caught her out of reflex.

"A-Ayame?" He looked at the girl in his arms, smelling the definite copper-like scent in the air.

"Kou…ga." Ayame appeared to be barely conscious and was completely vulnerable.

The wolf youkai picked the brunette up and carried her to his hotel bed, where he laid her down gently to assess the damage. There was a large gash on her head, but that was all he could see.

He wet a towel from the bathroom and returned to Ayame's side, fully prepared to clean her up. "What happened to you?"

Ayame reached up and grabbed Kouga's wrist. "It-it's all…my fault. I'm so…sorry." Her green eyes were glazed over in some sort of shock and Kouga quickly shook her to bring her back to this dimension, not really caring about her injuries.

"What's all your fault? Who did this to you?"

**Scene Change:**

Inuyasha leaned back in his chair, thinking about everything that Kagome had told him. It all went right through one ear and out the other, in truth. But he had tried his hardest to listen.

He stood up, grabbing his guitar from its case on the small coffee table.

In the mood to sing a different kind of song, Inuyasha strung a chord on his instrument and closed his eyes.

_If you love me baby_

_Show me now_

_If you care 'bout me honey_

_Don't let me down_

What was his problem? Nothing seemed to be going well recently, including the whole 'world tour' idea.

_Cause I'm a running around in circles_

_Without a cause if you _

_Don't love me honey_

_Just tell me now_

Was chasing after Kagome Higurashi a lost cause? He wasn't quite sure. She was everything, and yet at the same time nothing, like the girl of his dreams.

_Don't need to be used_

_Don't need to be someone's toy_

_I don't want to be a joke_

_So just tell me the truth babe_

Everything was chaos. It was already the beginning of July and still nothing major had happened for him. Mr. Toroshima had promised that this summer would be the highlight of his career. What a career it was turning out to be.

_Cause I'm a running around in circles_

_Without a cause if you _

_Don't love me honey_

_Just tell me now_

_Can't stand it when I'm in a bind_

_And you just laugh and say_

_"You've lost your mind"_

_Not really caring about me_

Inuyasha couldn't straighten the thoughts out in his head, frustrating him even more than before. Life was so bizarre: why couldn't it just be like an ice cream sundae?

_If you love me baby_

_Just show me now_

_If you care 'bout me honey_

_Don't let me down_

_Cause I'm a running around in circles_

_Without a cause if you _

_Don't love me honey_

_Just tell me now_

_If you love me_

Inuyasha put down his guitar with a sigh. He flopped back on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to block out the knowledge of all of the problems around him.

**Scene Change:**

Ami sat on her balcony overlooking the city. The others might not be able to tell, but they were in St. Petersburg, Russia. The area was bustling, but Ami could only pick out bits and pieces of their speech.

With a yawn she stepped up onto the railing and jumped the three stories to the ground where she then proceeded to the local chocolate shop. Man did she ever need to quench her yearning for something sweet.

She followed her nose to the entrance of a small little shop about a mile away from the hotel. When she walked in, the bell above the door jingled, alerting the young man behind the counter of her entrance.

"Hi." Ami smiled sheepishly at the boy; sure her Russian was far too awful to be understandable, so trying her hand with English. "Do you have any…er…brownies?" She was at a loss for words as the teenage boy gave her a large grin.

"Of course! This is a chocolate shop, after all!" His English seemed pretty good, greatly relieving poor Ami.

Ami found herself blushing. The boy couldn't be that much older than her, and his auburn hair was pulled back in a high ponytail.

"So, what brings you to Russia?" As she looked closer, Ami saw his pointed ears and teeth, indicating that he was a demon.

"I'm on tour with my band."

"You're in a band?" The boy looked up at her from where he was grabbing a brownie from off of the plate on display.

"Yea. Sorta. One of the girls is being finicky right now and won't play, but that'll be resolved soon, hopefully." Ami put her hands behind her back, rocking onto her heels then onto the balls of her feet with nervousness.

The boy gave her another toothy grin. "The name's Shippou Fox! What's yours?"

"Amilia Kawaii. But all of my friends call me Ami." Ami smiled back at him, her cheeks becoming redder by the minute.

"That's Japanese, isn't it?" Shippou continued smiling, leaning on the counter separating the two of them.

"Hai. And you're a kitsune youkai, ne?"

"I'm not so good on my Japanese," Shippou leaned back and scratched the back of his head, "but yeah, if that's a fox, yeah, sure I am."

Ami smiled brightly and pointed to herself. "So am I!"

They laughed lightly together, even though there really was no joke.

I 

**Do**

**Not**

**Sleep**

**Inutori:** There. I've finally introduced Shippou. He's Russian…we can pretend, right?

**Shippou:** But I don't know a word of Russian.

**Kagome:** Nor does Inutori. But don't tell her I told you.

**Inutori:** You know, I'm standing right here, Kagome.

**Kagome:** Oh! Hehehe. Gomen ne!

**Gem:** I expect everyone to review, or else.

**Inuyasha:** Or else what?

**Gem:** Me and Dray will come to get you while you sleep. We'll be sure to bring our scythe.

**Inuyasha:** Ooh, how threatening.

**Sagi:** Don't you forget, Gemini IS the Grim Reaper. I wouldn't take her threats so lightly. So you better all review!

**Inutori:** Until next chapter, ja ne!


	14. Friday, July 9

**Inutori:** Welcome all! I've returned with another chapter of this strange story for you all to absorb into your vault of fanfiction that you keep tucked away in the back of your head.

**Sagi:** ::cough:: crazy ::cough:: Inutori doesn't own Imuyasha, but you can sue her anyway!

**Inutori:** NO! Please don't sue me! Saggy, I'm going to kill you…

**Sagi:** Eeep! ::runs and hides::

**Inutori:** Well, go ahead and read the fourteenth installment of: ENCHANTED!

Chapter 14

Little Miss Perfect

Friday, July 9, 2004

Ami pulled her short hair back, trying to get it out of her face to see herself properly in the mirror.

She pouted. Shippou had been flirting with a pretty Scandinavian demon in the chocolate shop this morning, and on top of that her tour group would be leaving town today. Her bottom lip jutted out as she continued to gaze at her reflection.

Maybe she would look better with longer hair? Or maybe she could wear colored contacts? That young fox-demon boy had only come into her knowledge half a week ago, and already she was worried about what he thought.

Ami tilted her head to the side, thinking of how to describe the girl she had seen with Shippou.

_Blonde hair_

_Blue eyes_

Red lips 

_Fair skin_

Yep, that definitely sounded like her. A man's ideal girlfriend. How she wished she could look like that if only for a day.

_Little Miss Perfect _

_Stopped by today_

_Buying her cute smellin' perfumes_

With the cheesiest grin on her face 

Ami let go of her hair and let it fall across her face. The front hairs went down past her shoulders and she quickly pinned them back, but the rest of her hair barely made it past her jaw.

_According to her_

_My life is like too boring_

_And according to her I like need_

_To get out more often_

Hopping off her balcony for what seemed the hundredth time, Ami made her way to the chocolate shop. She stopped just outside when she smelt that other girl nearby. A glance through the shop window confirmed what she had thought.

Inside, Shippou and the girl were shamelessly flirting. Mild depression overcame Ami, but she pushed it aside and walked proudly into the quaint little shop.

_Is there a brain_

_In that empty shell?_

_She can't seem to do anything wrong_

_Yet she can't do anything too right._

Shippou and the girl both looked up at her, acknowledging her presence silently.

"Can I help you?" Shippou sounded so formal with that ditz around; unlike the first time she had met him. He seemed so much different this time around.

"Er…yeah. I was hoping to pick up a few truffles for my flight out of here."

"Oo, leaveng su soon?" The blond girl fluttered her eyelashes at an almost irritating rate.

Silently Ami made fun of the other girl, but she didn't dare say anything out loud. "Yeah, leaving. I have a schedule to meet, places to be. You know. A life?" Okay, so maybe Ami came out a little rude there, but she could've been worse.

_Skinny waist_

_Barbie's chest_

_Nice butt_

_Smooth voice_

_What more could a girl ask for?_

_What more could a girl need?_

_Little Miss Perfect _

_Flaunting around town without heed_

Ami put on her bravest face, carefully picking out the truffles she wanted to get for the gang.

"Oh, can I get a couple extra dark chocolate ones? Those are my favorite." Ami smiled slightly, shrugging and digging into her purse for the money to pay for the chocolates.

Shippou rang them up for her and Ami put the money on the table, not making eye contact with either the fox-demon or his female companion. She quickly turned and walked out of the store, trying not to show her embarrassment and building tears.

"Shea's note varry bright, zat gerl." Ami heard a giggle behind her just as she left the shop. Tears started building faster, and as soon as Ami had passed out of sight of the shop, she bolted.

_There she goes again_

_Flirting with the boys_

_I wish I could say I don't know her_

_But unfortunately I do_

_Seducing the guys_

_Manipulating her relations_

Yet no one but me 

_Seems to see what she's doing_

_Sweet smile_

_Pampered nails_

_Dainty feet_

_Long eyelashes_

_She's Little Miss Perfect_

**Scene Change:**

Inuyasha sloppily dumped his clothes into his suitcase, trying to get packed quickly and be able to catch some sleep before their long and tiresome flight to London.

He had already asked Sesshoumaru why they were skipping all the way over to London, but his brother only glared at him and told him to mind his own business.

How he hated it when Sesshoumaru did that. A growl escaped from him as he forcefully slammed his suitcase shut and latched it closed. The urge to kill surged through his veins, and he knew his blood was begging to murder his only living relative.

With a snort he tossed his bag towards the door and fell on his bed, not wanting to be awake a second longer.

Unfortunately luck didn't seem to be on his side today, since at that precise moment Miroku came barging into the room like a wild deer and jumped onto Inuyasha's bed.

"Save me!" Miroku scrambled over Inuyasha and dumped himself on the floor between the two queen beds in the room.

Inuyasha lazily lifted his head and looked at Miroku, then at the door that had been prevented from locking at the last moment.

Sango was standing in the doorway, fuming with the wrath of Satan. "Where is that foul-demon? Don't hide him, Inuyasha, I know he's in here."

The uncaring hanyou nodded his head in the direction of the cowering bass guitar player on the floor only a few feet away from himself. The woman's smile turned malicious, and Inuyasha almost regretted betraying his comrade…almost, that is…

In only a few bounds, Sango had jumped over the first bed and preceded to pummel Miroku with every ounce of strength she possessed, which was no small amount. She rivaled most human men and even some demons in the strength department.

It didn't take too long before Miroku was unconscious, and Sango seemed pleased with herself. She stood up and brushed off her hands, as if congratulating herself for a job well done.

"What did he do?"

Sango gave Inuyasha a deadpan stare. "He asked a twelve-year-old girl to bear his child. Molester."

Inuyasha gave the drummer a surprised look. Sure Miroku had issues, but he had never realized those mental deficiencies ran that deep. Miroku let out a whimper, and both Sango and Inuyasha looked down at him strangely.

The hanyou shrugged and rolled over, fully prepared to get some much-needed shut-eye. He listened to Sango walk out of the room, and listened to the gentle brush of the door against the carpet as it glided shut.

No click came when the door stopped making noise. His eyes still closed, he rolled them in exasperation for being bothered again.

"Inuyasha?"

He tried to repress his anger when he realized it was Kagome. She probably didn't realize he was trying to sleep, so he would let her off the hook just this once. "What, wench?" Letting her off the hook didn't mean he wouldn't be cruel, though.

The grumble that answered him gave him a hint that Kagome wasn't too happy about his response. "I was wondering if you had any idea what happened to Ayame the other day." Inuyasha listened to her quick breathing and could faintly make out the sound of her frantically beating heart. "It's just so strange that she would just turn up at Kouga's door in the state she was in."

With a deep breath, Inuyasha sat up and looked at Kagome with no hint of emotion on his face. "Why don't you ask Ayame?"

Kagome looked at the floor and dug her right foot into the floor. "She won't talk to me. She hasn't since the break-up."

A look of understanding crossed Inuyasha's face and he nodded. "Perhaps you should at least try. It couldn't hurt, could it?" He couldn't believe the words coming out of his own mouth. It just wasn't like him to be this mellow and wise and all that worthless junk.

The smile that Kagome gave him reassured him that being logical wasn't all that bad…to an extent. "Thanks Inuyasha. I think I'll take you up on that."

Once again Inuyasha was left alone to sleep…

"Inuyasha, wise words there. But you know you'd never follow that advice."

Inuyasha cursed his luck under his breath. He'd forgotten that Miroku was still there. And apparently he'd woken up from his earlier beating at the hands of Sango. "Shut up, furyou houshi."

"Your words wound me, Inuyasha." Miroku pulled himself up, his head popping up over the edge of the mattress. "But really, do you think we could patch those girls back together? It has gotten Sango all stressed out."

The silver-haired boy cocked an eyebrow at his fellow band member. "And why do you care about that?"

A blush rose slightly on Miroku's face; it was a very unnatural and disturbing sight. "No reason. I'm just worried about them, that's all."

Inuyasha nodded his head and mentally coughed at Miroku's attempt at hiding his true feelings. "Right, and I love Kikyou. You're more than just worried about them."

**Scene Change:**

Ayame shifted slightly, readjusting her position so that she was slightly more comfortable. She had been sleeping in Kouga's room since Tuesday, and she hadn't really even moved from the bed. The only time she ever rose was to hit the bathroom for a few brief moments.

A knock at the door drew her attention from her moping, and she reluctantly pulled herself up and sauntered over to the door. Without looking in the eyehole she turned the doorknob and swung open the heavy piece of wood, revealing a nervous-looking Kagome.

The growl that escaped her lips couldn't be stopped, although she knew that Kagome wasn't here to fight.

"A-Ayame? Can we talk?" Kagome looked up at the wolf demon, hoping for a positive response in all likelihood.

Instead of saying anything, Ayame shrugged and stepped out of the doorway, silently allowing Kagome into the room.

"Arigato."

Ayame just wanted to get this over with and to get back to bed. Her body was still aching all over from being beaten a few days ago, even though all of her cuts were healed up.

"What happened, Ayame?"

"What do you mean?" Ayame knew exactly what Kagome meant, but that didn't mean she'd admit to it. The tension in the air was suffocating and Ayame wanted Kagome to just leave. She didn't want to talk to Kagome. Hadn't she already made that obvious?

"The other day. What happened to you?" Kagome seemed to have genuine worry etched on her face. The guitar player was a good actress though, so Ayame didn't want to give into her seemingly innocent appearance.

"I let my guard down and got mugged." Ayame looked out the window at the unfamiliar city and let out a sigh.

"By who?" Kagome looked a little shocked and even more worried than before. The raven-haired girl looked as if her worst nightmare had just come true.

"No one we know." Ayame let out another sigh. Kagura had seemed like an entirely different person that day. She still didn't understand why.

"Oh." Kagome slumped onto the queen-sized bed closer to the door. "How are you feeling now?"

It was almost starting to feel like old times when Kagome made light conversation or took on your worries for you. "A little shocked, I guess. But I'm mostly healed. I am a demon, after all."

Kagome looked up and smiled at Ayame. "I'm glad that you're alright. I've been so worried." Her eyes sparkled with tears of joy being held back. "Don't ever make me worry like that again, okay?"

Ayame nodded, still trying to avoid Kagome's gaze. The young girl was still being such a sweetheart even after Ayame did what she did to the group. It wasn't like it was out of character for the human girl, but it just made Ayame feel worse about what she had done.

She knew it wasn't Kagome's fault that guys like her, but it had felt nice to blame her at the time. When they were in India she was so stressed and temperamental that Kagome had been the perfect person to throw all her problems at. After thinking about it for the last three days, Ayame knew that she was the one in the wrong, but how would she actually say she was sorry?

In all honesty, Ayame was afraid of what Kagome would do or what everyone else would think of her since they all knew it was her fault that the group was split.

The silence that had been dragging on wasn't awkward, and Kagome was just sitting there calmly watching the birds outside the window.

"Kagome?"

"Hmm?" She barely responded, probably lost in a trance brought on by watching the twittering balls of feathers.

"Would it still be…Are we still…What I mean is…" Ayame tried desperately to find her words, but they kept eluding her.

Kagome turned to her, the trance broken and now paying full attention to the wolf demon in the room with her.

"Kagome, I'm sorry."

The leader of the once-upon-a-time band looked at Ayame with an expressionless face, but didn't say anything.

Ayame felt the tears well up behind her eyelids and the clump form in her throat. "I want us to still have our band. I don't want Sengotsu to be a thing of the past. Please forgive me, Kagome-chan." The tears streamed down her face and she lunged into Kagome's lap, sobs shaking her entire body.

I 

**Do**

**Not **

**Sleep**

**Inutori:** Hey, minna-san! I hope this wasn't too short. I figured I'd better update this before my week is up and all.

**Kagome:** Took you long enough.

**Kouga: **Why wasn't I in this chapter???

**Inuyasha:** Because you're just a wimpy-wolf!

**Kouga:** Shut up, dog-breath

**Kikyou:** Don't complain, Kouga. I have been exempt from the story for an unbearably long time. When will I return? At least you are mentioned.

**Miroku:** But you were mentioned, Kikyou-sama.

**Inuyasha:** Yeah, but only as a joke. ::snicker::

**Inutori:** Well, I'd like to get lots of reviews before I update again, since I base what stories I update next on their popularity with the reviewers. That might give some people incentive to review, but I really don't know. Until next chapter, ja ne!


	15. Friday, July 9

**Inutori: **So sorry this has taken sooo long to update. In repentance I'll let you get right to this fairly short chapter. Unless you want a brief summary/reminder of the story so far...then stay tuned...

_Summary: Kagome's group Sengotsu went on tour with the famous group Enchanted around the world. So far they have stopped in Japan (to pick up the girls), Australia, India, and now Russia. Along the way we have found out that there is something mysterious about Kagome and Ayame broke up the band temporarily due to jealousy issues with their lead singer centered around Kouga. Shippou has come into the story as the owner of a Russian chocolate shop owner and has met Ami, who has become jealous of a girl that has been flirting with Shippou. And that's where we'll begin..._

**Chapter 15  
****Undefeatable**

Shippou watched the blonde demon leave, her hips swinging shamelessly with each step. She had stayed for far too long, but Shippou hated to be rude to anyone. If it weren't in his nature to respect girls, he would have released one of his tops on her head.

That would have been rather hilarious to watch.

But what really irritated Shippou was the fact that she never bothered to buy anything when she came by. All she did was stand there and talk about herself and her villa on the other side of town.

He laughed. That girl had some major issues.

With a sigh he decided to close shop early. Really early: it was only 10:30 in the morning. Like he cared. During the school year it was closed most of the day anyway. Being summer and all he could open shop a little earlier, but it was up to him when to close.

After the front door was locked and the sign switched to saying he was closed, Shippou went behind the counter and grabbed a bag. He carefully wrapped each piece of chocolate and then set them in the sack, making sure that none of it would be ruined.

Once the bag was full, he put it in his backpack and put that on his back.

He exited through the back door and locked it behind him. No reason to ask people to steal his ingredients, recipes, and chocolates.

Shippou leapt out onto the main street, taking a good whiff to catch the scent he was looking for. There was no problem with locating the scent, now all he had to do was follow it.

He ran down the street towards a hotel not far away at all. Eyeing each of the windows, Shippou tried to decide which one to choose.

First he found the area where her scent was freshest, then looked up. There was a column of balconies above him and one of them had to lead to the girl he was looking for. He took a leap into the air, able to smell the other fox demon strongest on the third story.

On the fall back down to the ground, Shippou grabbed onto the railing and pulled himself up.

_Some call me a monster_

_Others a werewolf_

_Once it was a lost puppy_

_But is that really me?_

His ear twitched slightly with the music playing. It was a male's voice. Was she listening to a CD or something?

_That's not who I am_

_It's not who I'll ever be_

_I'm a demon at heart _

_Ferocious and strong_

_Undefeatable_

Shippou shrugged and pulled open the sliding glass door, feeling a blast of humidity rush past him. He entered silently and looked around. There were a couple of bags on the floor, halfway packed.

Grateful that he had caught her before she had left, the fox demon slipped off his backpack and pulled the bag of chocolates out carefully.

_I've been called cocky_

_Arrogant or rude_

_You make the pick_

_Of my attitude_

A squeak pulled his attention to the other side of the room where the door to the hallway and the one to the bathroom were.

"Sh-Shippou!" The timid voice that carried to him he immediately recognized as the little kitsune girl's.

"Ami." Shippou nodded, sitting down on one of the queen-sized beds.

_Perhaps you're jealous_

Of my higher state 

_And that's why you _

_Call me a mutt-face_

Her head was the only thing peaking out of the bathroom, the rest of her hidden by the wall. "You don't just waltz into a girl's room unannounced, you know."

_But that's not who I am_

_It's not who I'll ever be_

_I'm a demon at heart _

_Ferocious and strong_

_Undefeatable_

"Wha?" Shippou cocked an eyebrow in confusion, looking into her eyes with interest.

_Too many times I've been called_

_A half-breed weakling_

_But there's more to me than that_

Oh so much 

Ami blushed lightly and looked at the ground between them. "I just got out of the shower." She tried to smile, but it ended up looking more like she was bearing her teeth.

Shippou's eyes widened, realizing what she was trying to get at. His face turned into a ripe tomato and he quickly stood up and faced the sliding door that led to the balcony.

_You call me filthy_

_Unworthy of grace_

_That I shouldn't have lived _

_Through all that I've faced_

He listened as she cautiously emerged from the bathroom and went to her suitcase for some clothes. The awkwardness between them was almost tangible and Shippou just wanted to deck himself.

"So…um…what's this music you're listening to?" Shippou shifted his weight from foot to foot, antsy about being in a room with a cute girl while she dressed.

_But that's not who I am_

_It's not who I'll ever be_

_I'm a demon at heart _

_Ferocious and strong_

_Undefeatable_

Undefeatable 

She didn't answer for a moment, and then the music cut before it had died off completely. "That was Enchanted."

"The other band you're touring with?"

Ami let out the air in her lungs. "Yeah."

"They aren't too bad." Shippou looked up at the ceiling. "Is it safe to turn around now?" He hadn't thought visiting Ami would feel this awkward when he had made the decision to come. Now? He wanted to leap out the window and fall to his death.

"It's safe. I'm modest." There was a hint of amusement in her voice as Shippou let out a sigh of relief and swung around to face her. "So why are you here, anyway?"

The fox demon gave Ami a toothy grin. "Is it against the law for a guy to pay a visit to a girl?"

She shrugged. "I don't know Russian laws that well. You tell me." Her eyes looked as if she were forcing herself to smile.

Not only that, but Shippou could feel the unease pulsing off of her in waves. "What's wrong?" He may have totally changed the subject, but he wasn't one to not speak his mind to people he felt he could trust.

Ami jerkily sat down in one of the chairs provided by the hotel. "Nothing."

Shippou moved to stand beside her. "Is it about me?" He didn't get a response from her. Thoughts ran through his head a mile a minute to try and figure out what would have her so upset. "That rabbit chick this morning?" She had said some pretty cruel things about Ami earlier.

"You wouldn't understand."

At least he had gotten her to admit something was amiss with her. "I would if you told me."

Ami let out a snort. "No you wouldn't, you're a guy."

**Scene Change:**

Kagura looked at the clock sitting next to her temporary bed. 11:38. Sesshoumaru would be coming by soon to get them herded into the buses that would take them to the airport.

She drummed her fingers on the table beside her, mulling over her worries and troubles silently. Since she had beaten up Ayame she hadn't really spent much time with the other girls. Everyone seemed to be doing his or her own thing as of late. It was actually quite boring.

With a groan of misery she slouched down on her chair and laid her head on the table. "Why did I have to be dealt such a lousy hand?"

Naraku always told her that life was a card game and everyone is against everyone else in hopes of succeeding. After he had been released from prison, he had smiled evilly at her and said, "I've been dealt all of the aces while you and everyone else in this pathetic existence are stuck with the lowest cards."

That man was so arrogant it was sickening. He would deserve to have someone put him in his place. Sesshoumaru could probably do it. He too acts like he is meant for better things than this life has to offer, but does it in a manner that makes him appear like royalty. Naraku just acted like a gang leader.

Kagura closed her eyes for a moment and listened. The wind outside blew softly through leafy trees. A maid down the hall had a cart with a squeaky wheel in desperate need of oiling. Ayame was balling her eyes out…still. Ami was laughing hysterically with some stranger. Miroku and Inuyasha were talking…well…more like Miroku was talking and Inuyasha was grunting. Sesshoumaru was walking down the hall, his footsteps pounding rhythmically like a drum. The staff his ugly follower carried around hit the floor every once in awhile. Kouga was practicing his timing on the wall of the hallway.

Who to kill first?

She laughed at herself for that. They probably didn't think about how annoying they were all being to any other demons around: especially those who have been experimented on since birth. Then again, she was the only one of them that fit into that genre. Kagome almost did…except the demon part.

A knock on the door signaled that Sesshoumaru was starting his rounds to round up the delinquents that called themselves band members.

With a roll of her eyes and a large sigh she stood and opened the door, looking up at the stoic inu-youkai. His gold eyes showed no emotion, but his words were filled with a smoothed-over malice.

"Get down to the bus now." He turned and walked away down the hall to the next room just to repeat those same words.

Kagura watched him for a moment, admiring the way his business suit complimented and accented his muscular build. She shook her head jerkily, ridding her head of those thoughts. What was she thinking? Naraku would murder anyone he felt got in the way of Kagura's complete submission to his will.

**Scene Change:**

Kouga counted one and two and three and four and one and two as he tapped his drumsticks on the hotel wall. Ayame was in his room and he had forgotten his key. He had tried knocking, but the girl just screamed that she wanted to be left alone.

It was his room, not hers…

The wolf demon shrugged and kept on tapping. Not that he wanted to stand out in the hall, but Ayame was cute and she obviously liked his room. He'd let her have it if she wanted.

**I  
Do  
Not  
Sleep**

**Inutori:** If you think I own Inuyasha, you are sorely mistaken. But I do own this story line so stop thinking about stealing it...:grin:...you know you want to...  
**Sagi:** You wish I did. I could pull a better story out of my second grade journal.  
**Gemini:** Shut up if you wish to live.  
**Sagi:** squeeeee!  
**Inutori:** K everybody, please review my severely delayed chapter so I know people are still interested. Ja ne, minna-san!


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